( open ) two demons walk into a bar.. neither of them gets hurt since they heal instantly

[puerilely]

Who: Shuu, Senkimaru and you!
When: 01/14 IC, aka around this time oocly.
Where: On the streets and in the CERES games center!
What: Now Senkimaru is here, he's gotten the honorable duty of having to babysit Shuu as the latter drags him all across town and forces him to have fun. Whether said fun will be had in the first place is still up in the air. Demons that are not even vaguely cool hanging out, basically.
Rating/Warning: Other than general shitbaby behaviour from Shuu there should be nothing to warn for!

---

a - on the streets;
[ You're probably just going about your day, all nice and quiet and with a great lack of Santas or anything else trying to kill you. A perfect day.

Except it's about to be ruined. Since there's the human demon equivalent of a bulldozer on the streets right now - aka an enthusiastic Shuu dragging a poor soul around as he runs excitedly towards their destination, prattling on about the games they're going to play (while said poor soul - Senkimaru - more or less puts up with it).

But it also means he's not even remotely looking where he's going, so it's very likely he'll just barrel straight into you, with enough speed to send both you and himself tumbling to the ground. Whoops. Looks like it's time for Senkimaru to be damage control.. ]

b - ceres games center;
[ Even those who are trying to enjoy some games in the hall full of flashing lights aren't saved the menace that is Two Demons... or rather one overly annoying and loud demon and one that's somewhat reluctant to be here to begin with. Doubtlessly Shuu's already been dragging his taller friend around to play a lot of the games, but apparently he still needs some help with something, since he's definitely approaching you here and dragging the other along. ]

He-y.. my friend is such an old man that I don't know what kind of games would be fun for him.. you can help him out with having fun, right?

[ DON'T JUST FORCE THAT ON OTHER PEOPLE WITH A SMILE, SHUU.. also yes, he's casually insulting Senkimaru over here. No big deal. They do it all the time. ]

( ooc: these will be threeway threads between your character, shuu and senkimaru! c: two for the price of one demons are my favourite kind, in case you hadn't noticed yet. )

Comments

[puerilely]

[ Exactly, just don't mention awkward conversations ever again, that's Shuu's motto too.. he's just never going to bring it up again, no one else but Kaoru has to know about it and the two of them can just mutually ignore it like really sane and mentally healthy Nagumos.

But he sure doesn't miss the fact that Kaoru is acting very.. well, Kaoru-y. Openly so, in public, and usually it wouldn't be a problem since it's not too busy on the streets.. but, well. Senkimaru is right there, and Shuu knows he's not oblivious enough to miss this moment.

So he just lets out a sigh as he untangles himself from Kaoru to sit leaning back on the ground himself. ]

That sort of reaction isn't cute at all.. [ Yeah, sure, draw more attention to Kaoru being a secret shitlord, Shuu. ]

[hagureoni]

[Oh, what a lucky day. Two Nagumos for the prize of one. At least he's aware now who this person is - Shuu was so kind to enlighten him on his family. He hadn't thought he would see them together like this and in that fashion and...

Was there some kind of awkward tension between them? Or was that just him? At least he could tell Kaoru behaved very differently from the way he had behaved when they had talked at the party. And Shuu hated the Nagumos. Oh boy.This was probably going to turn into a major pain he didn't really want to deal with.]

I don't think that really matters. You should just be more careful.

[souredsweet]

[There's still a biting edge of irritation present, but Kaoru's simmered down a little, at least... Just gonna sit upright and dust the sidewalk junk off of this nice outfit, gosh!!]

Please pay as much attention to where you're walking as you do to my reactions to your rudeness, Shuu-san.

[WHAT A BUTT... Both Shuu and Kaoru, honestly. And since Kaoru definitely doesn't expect Shuu to be generous and help a punk up, said punk also preemptively decides not to offer a helping hand either and just stands. ...With care, making sure to check for any rips in fabric or unsightly stains, because appearance is still important. With that all settled, Senkimaru gets a somewhat apologetic look.]

Still, for you to be in such a rush... I do hope that I haven't delayed you for something important.

[puerilely]

[ Shuu just clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes a little - with the way he's still sitting there on the ground, it means he's sitting a little behind Kaoru.. so the intention is that only Senkimaru can see his reaction. (He knows Kaoru will most likely pick up on the sound too, but hey, it's not like he actually cares about that.)

Picking himself up from the ground and starting to dust off his own clothes as well, he just lets out a whiny sigh rather than adding anything to the conversation. ]

[hagureoni]

[Well, at least Kaoru was not as entirely childish as Shuu was at times. Just like now. He is starting to wonder about the irony of his request regarding Kaoru, really.]

No, it's nothing that important.

[He couldn't himself bring to say it wasn't important, he did value the time with his friend, as annoying as Shuu might be from time to time. But it wasn't like they were exactly in a rush or something.]

How about you? Were you hurt?

[Not that it really mattered that much, with all of them being demons and all.]

[souredsweet]

[Kaoru does pick up on the sound and is 100% not surprised by it. At this point, he's just resigned himself to his fate... Forever dealing with an actual 5 year old in an immortal body.

But since Shuu is mostly silent, Kaoru's attention remains on Senkimaru. One hand raises in polite reassurance, though the expression present looks more exasperated than anything. It's mostly directed at Shuu...]

Thank you for asking; I'm fine. [A glance, then, between the two other demons.] The two of you are acquainted...?

[Or maybe Shuu just ferried the poor guy because he was excited that found a fellow demon... It's hard to tell when punks are involved.]

[puerilely]

[ .. oh, that's right. He told Senkimaru about Kaoru - partially, anyway - but he didn't tell Kaoru about Senkimaru since he wanted to see how things would go between those two..

But not saying it at this point would be pretty weird, so he guesses he's got no choice anyway. Not like it's a huge secret to begin with - it's pretty obvious from the way Shuu treats Senkimaru. ]

I know Senkimaru-san from my own time. [ Aka oldass demon ancestor Sengoku times... ] I went around with him and Yachiyo-san before I ended up here.

[ YOU MAKE IT SOUND SO INNOCENT, SHUU. Like you weren't the villains of this otome game.. ]

[hagureoni]

[Yeah, it's totally not like they comitted crimes that in a usual case would get them banned forever if they had been the first ones to commit them. They were just hanging out in the woods, being silly together.]

Yeah, we're friends from back home.

[He adds to Shuu's comment, there was no point in hiding it anyways.]

I heard you're from the Nagumo-clan as well?

[souredsweet]

[the villains of tokis]

Ah, you are? [But Senkimaru had seemed so reasonable?! So normal?? How does he actually deal with Shuu enough to be able to call him a friend... This is truly incredible.

As for the question, there's a brief nod, no pause heralding it. Lying to other demons always proves fruitless in the end, anyway... Dang information-networking punks.]

That's correct, though I'm from a later time.

[puerilely]

[ An incredibly accurate and on point video.

But Shuu actually feels.. strangely glad at Senkimaru confirming that they're actually friends. It's still sort of awkward and uncertain, especially considering the way things ended up in his version of the timeline, but he does consider Yachiyo and Senkimaru friends - two of the only people who had ever bothered to give him the light of day.

It might be why he sneaks a somewhat odd (by Shuu standards, since it's a little more genuinely innocent and maybe almost a little surprised) look in the other's direction before shaking it off. ]

Kaoru's adopted. [ It's a fact he won't just throw out in the open for anyone, but since Senkimaru just confirmed there is indeed Friendship going on here, Shuu figures he should at least explain this much in return - it's not like he values Kaoru's right to keep secrets that much, after all. ]

He's from another clan of the Jukkishu.

[ That's aimed a little more pointedly at Senkimaru since.. Well, he still doesn't get it? Shuu is not unaware that they did some shitty things, especially towards the Jukkishu - even if they deserved it, in Shuu's opinion. But still, it makes one of their children ending up with a clan as shitty as the Nagumo strangely ironic. ]

[hagureoni]

[For Senkimaru, their relationship was always without question. He would regard Shuu his friend and comrade no matter what - which is why he can't really read the look Shuu was giving him. He'll have that in his memory as Shuu's look when he's touched, probably.]

Adopted? Then from which clan is he originally?

[And who would give their kid to the Nagumo-clan of all people? What was happening in the future that would cause that?]

[souredsweet]

[Ugh!!! Shuu!! Not that it's really a big secret among the clans in Kaoru's own time - but it's still a touchy subject, and it feels like salt on the wounds to hear it from Shuu even though Shuu A) had nothing to do with it and B) ...isn't as bad as the rest of the clan, if he were to be honest.

Even though it's invasive, there isn't much need or reason to lie here. It's with some measure of terseness that Kaoru answers.]

Yukimura.

[And then, words ever-polite despite the clipped tone:] If you have a question for me, please ask me directly, sir.

[puerilely]

[ Shuu rolls his eyes a little at Kaoru's last remark. There's no need to be so passive aggressive, gosh!! We're among demons here, you can at least act like your true shitty self all the way, Kaoru.. It's not like Shuu hasn't seen it plenty already.

(Then again, Kaoru has seen some sides of Shuu too that he'd rather not show to anyone else, so maybe they're even in that sense.) ]

What a terrible fate, huh.. That'd something I wouldn't wish even on my worst enemies, being adopted into the Nagumo clan! [ SO ENTIRELY SUBTLE ABOUT HOW MUCH HE HATES HIS FAMILY.. apparently.. even though he's saying it with a big smile, but the sentiment is bitter as hell for sure. ]

[hagureoni]

[Yukimura... well, Kazuya was a bit more off a reckless type - and there were probably more similarities to Kaoru appearance-wise, at least.

That the Yukimura would lean on a clan whose head had betrayed them...

But right. Things had already changed.

Also you asked for direct questions, Kaoru.]

Why did the Yukimura-clan let you be adopted by them?

[It kind of hurts, hearing Shuu talking like that. Senkimaru knew Shuu hated the Nagumo-clan with a passion, the Toyotomi as well...

He didn't know this hatred was still around this strongly.]

Shuu...

[souredsweet]

They didn't.

[Well, Kaoru did ask for direct questions, and should have assumed that questions like these in particular would follow... But they're still incredible difficult to hear and even harder to answer. He doesn't need to answer them, technically; but it hadn't been a secret back home. It's not something to keep hush about for self-preservation like most of his secrets so much as it's just for his own personal comfort, because he's filled with a lot of Furious Kaoru Feelings™ about the entire situation.

It would be easier to say "there was an accident" or to skirt around the subject once more, but he won't treat his birth family's demise in the same way that he treats the demise of the Nagumo clan. He had stepped around actually saying what happened earlier, when the topic of being from the same clan was first broached with Shuu, but there is no mincing of words now.]

They were slaughtered by humans.

[And apparently no other clan stepped up to the plate or perhaps the Nagumos are actual insane kidnappers WE JUST DON'T KNOW, but one way or another, that's how the dice fell.]

No one was left to take me in, and so the Nagumo clan generously did instead.

[puerilely]

[ Kaoru had stepped around the topic before, so it's only now that all the pieces seem to fully fall into place. Why one of the other families had ever given away one of their kids to the Nagumo clan, of all clans - it's not like they made a conscious decision for it, it's just that Kaoru had nowhere else to go anymore.

And it's not like Shuu doesn't get that. He was born in the Nagumo clan, sure, but he knows what it's like when the only people who ever mattered are gone and you're left with a clan that only teaches you how to hate.

(Sure, the hate had allowed him to bear the effects of the sentan, but there's a part of him that would rather have gone crazy on the spot just to be able to forget.)

It's why, for a moment, he doesn't have time for the concern of the friend by his side. Instead laughter instinctively escapes his throat. It sounds definitely weird compared to how Kaoru words it, but it's not like Shuu can stop it. There's a shakiness to the laughter - it sounds borderline deranged, really. ]

What a terrible fate, Kaoru..!

[ Because even if there's nuances in it (the difference in how their direct family died, the difference in how that hate was fostered in them), it's his fate. It's his life.

It's the life he's always hated, so all he can do is laugh. ]

You really drew the worst card possible in life!