[OPEN] did you miss me?

[sunshrouded]

Who: Tenka aka "Dad Extraordinaire" (sunshrouded) & ALL OF Y'ALL TBH
When: Sliiiiightly forward-dated to 2/15, so right after the Nexus Code event!
Where: assorted... Kumounji House & entertainment district mostly!
What: Guess who's back (back again), Tenka's back. Tell a friend. -- also he fulfill his dream of becoming a Sidequest Dispenser.
Rating/Warning: just your usual brand of tenka idiocy, maybe some tears, probably some punching

[a. closed to kumounji house residents ; farts back into existence]

[Tenka doesn't have a calendar in his room.

Why would he?

But what he does have, when he materializes in his futon, wearing the same robe that he went to bed with, is a vague feeling of dread. He went through a weird sequence of dreams, he thinks. Sitting through that powerpoint again and then -- after that there was a weird space where he could walk through entire buildings. Where he started to feel... intangible again. It was remniscent enough of the time that he lost his body that he felt chills.

Yet his preoccupation with himself was short. After all, Shirasu was there.

Shirasu was there and wasn't there all at once -- he was in that space, unresponsive even as Tenka yelled at him and tried to punch him. But there was no returning punch, no weary purple eyes, not even a motion of acknowledgment. He was well and truly there and.... not.

So Tenka is tired as he walks out into the living room then, settling himself at their low table and slumping over it, just as he would've three weeks ago.

His first word upon his return:]

Teeeeaaaaaaaa.

[ . . . . . well?]

[b. semi-open to adoptees & others ; emerges from the void for noogies]

[Most people just knock or ring a doorbell. Maybe knock three times in small bursts if they're feeling antsy. But here's Tenka, banging on the door instead, complete with yelling:]

Heeeeyyyyy!! Is anyone in there?! Hellooooo?

[At least it's a voice you probably haven't heard in a while.

Someone clued him in that he's been gone for 3 weeks. So he's got about 3 weeks of visits to make up for, he thinks.

(Punch him.)]

[c. OPEN ; tell me what you see ]

[If nothing else, you might've seen this guy's face around. Yet he appears to no longer be Missing and is instead sitting on a bench somewhere. He seems to be puzzling over something very, very deeply. Feel free to bug him if you know him when he's still in the middle of his work of art (which consists of nothing more than a few brush strokes).

Because otherwise he's going to sit up suddenly and thrust out the page to you. It's definitely the kanji for 'lake'. But here's time for messing with the language mechanism and/or an impromptu Rorschach test:]

What does this look like to you?

[What a quack.]

[d. OPEN ; quest master tenka, disaster in the making]

Hey, you!!

[Doesn't that sound like a promising start to a conversation....

Alas, escape is futile as Tenka completely messes up the rhythm of the closest person's day as he steps in front of them and offers them the sunniest grin. (Don't trust it.)]

You look like you've got some free time. Think you can help a guy out with something?

[Sidequest: start!]

[e. choose your own adventure, hit me with anything, i can take it! ]

Comments

[sunshrouded]

[ . . . . oof. That much manages to get him to wince because he's heard some of it but--]

Even with you? Man, I've really got a bone to pick with those guys!

[And more gently, concerned:] Are you holding up okay?

[oneirism]

[The wince gets a blink, and she wonders for a moment if he's feeling okay. And his concern only gets her to blink even more, not really sure how to respond to it - is he asking that because she doesn't look okay?

Cue her pressing her hands to her cheeks just to double-check she isn't injured while she nods.]

... Yeah, I am. [Pause as she pats her face for a moment.] Do I look like I'm not okay?

[Sorry Tenka, she isn't used to concern from people besides her sister and her ghost nanny.]

[sunshrouded]

[ . . . . and he just snorts faintly at that and responds without even flinching:] No, you look as cute as ever.

[but moving on]

But if CERES is messing with people, I was just worried that you were getting caught up in their messes.

[oneirism]

[Being called cute gets another blink, but at least she stops squishing her face and simply folds her hands behind her back.]

... I did get caught in their mess, but I'm okay now... It's nice being able to hear other things again.

[It's a pretty vague answer, but that event freaked her out a lot and she doesn't want to mention that. And cue another pause.] What about you? Did CERES do anything to you?

[sunshrouded]

[ . . . . ah. That's an answer in affirmation that Tenka didn't want to hear, but was half-expecting anyway. So he's calmer when he reassures her:]

Not as far as I know. Made me sit through the dumb presentation again, I guess it's been a while. But.... it's pretty blank aside from that.

[Which is a different kind of concerning.]

But I'm glad that you recovered alright. I'll give these bastards what's coming to 'em, alright?

[oneirism]

... I see. [That gets a soft frown. So he vanished but has no memory of what happened? That is pretty concerning, but she tries not to dwell on it for now - he seems alright, so she won't worry too much.

And his words pull a soft smile from her, even if it only lasts for a second, and she gives a soft, amused huff.]

... Not if I get to them first. I have a bone to pick with them too.

[sunshrouded]

[ and that makes Tenka laugh. Loudly. ]

Yeah? What're you gonna do, Lapis-chan? Charm 'em to death?!

[ she's so cute ]

[oneirism]

[And cue Lapis huffing in response, placing her hands on her hips.]

... Hey, I can be scary when I need to be.

[Which is kinda true. But it really doesn't seem like it now, with how her cheeks are almost puffed up from how she's trying to stop herself from pouting.]

[sunshrouded]

[ . . . . . uh-huh. Tenka just snorts softly then, but he gracefully (but not) tries to obscure it behind a cough into his arm.]

Hm.

Yes, I'm sure.

[oneirism]

[HEY, she is totally scary!! This is really the first time anybody has laughed at the thought of her being scary, so she can't help but pout a bit for a second.]

- It's true! I can talk to dead people and my best friend is a ghost - a lot of people think that's pretty scary.

[ARE YOU TERRIFIED NOW TENKA as Lapis puffs up proudly at how totally scary she sounds.]

[sunshrouded]

[ . . . no, he's not terrified but it might be because--]

Ah... You have quite the imagination, Lapis-chan! You must be really good at telling stories.

[Tenka's an idiot]