[Open] Moving up from the bottom

[grandspark]

Who: Rude and OTA
When: Latter half of July Juril.
Where: Around Aefenglom.
What: Catch-all stuff. Still getting used to the city. Quests: Blink and Miss 'Em, A New Look. Some monster changes. Etc, etc.
Warnings: N/A, can be changed if necessary.



I. Around the City

It was entirely too hot of weather to be walking around in a full business suit with gloves, shirt fully buttoned, and everything perfectly in place--and yet here was the immaculately dressed bald man walking around in the heat with a perfect suit on as if it were nothing. He kept up a great game face but truth was he was just as hot and miserable as anyone else on the street during the day with this heat bearing down. The only occasional sign of discomfort he showed, however, was a need to scratch at his elbows from time to time and that had nothing to do with the heat.

Rude was walking the city some more in his time off from the few odd jobs he'd picked up for money. He hated to rely on charity forever and though he disliked jobs that weren't Turk-like business he wasn't entirely without experience for the lesser or mundane things either. Surviving was surviving no matter what life threw at you. In the meantime, he was still intent on learning the streets better and the only way to do that was simply to walk them. It wasn't like Midgar here but a city was still a city at least. He was getting the hang of it pretty quickly truth be told. No one else had to know that though so occasionally he did stop to ask for help with general directions or suggestions on places to visit. Interacting with the various people in town was a learning experience, too, giving him insight on the area and its usual suspects.

He did this sort of thing any time he had free time right now honestly. It gave him something to do as well as knowledge he could use for living here.

- - -

A rarer occasion saw the bald man eying the Witches on the sides of the streets selling their cool treats. It had been a while since he had indulged in such childish things but it certainly was hot outside and ice-y snacks made for a good distraction from the heat. This wasn't a vacation but he had the money for it and if there was one thing he knew about life it was to always live it like today was the last day. He caved.

He walked up to one of the Witches that was haggling prices for her popsicle goods and looked more closely at the flavors to chose. After requesting one from the Witch and haggling down its price a bit, he turned to the person nearest him that looked interested but uncertain about purchasing one and asked, "Would you like one?"

Either he was feeling extremely friendly and generous today, or he had an intention for it in mind. Or maybe it was just a little of both for now.

II. Blink and Miss 'Em

Rude had been helping out with the kitten care sporadically in the past week and, since technically he was actually earning money for it, he managed to slip in a few days per week for the remainder of the month as well in between working a few other jobs. He knew Reno was aware of it despite their non-spoken agreement to not talk about it because Rude had found Reno cursing at stray cat hair one morning. Rude would have apologized but it was easier not to admit that he enjoyed working at the uniquely named pet store. He would have preferred to work a little more with birds but the kittens were nice, too. And, again, more importantly, he was making cash just by showing up to play with a bunch of furry critters.

So, there he was: Mr. Stoic flicking a feathered cat toy at a bunch of randomly teleporting kittens just to keep them occupied and out of everyone's way. Then again, sometimes he was playing hide and seek with a stray kitten that teleported off to no one knew where until they looked. And then, just sometimes at the end of the day, he ended up a cat's tree stand as he sat on the floor and let them crawl, knead, and sleep all over him. A big guy like him couldn't possibly be tuckered out just from babysitting a bunch of kittens, right? Nah, there's no way he could fall asleep while they licked at his beard like that--or, wait, could he...??

III. A New Look

This was still awkward. Rude had been initially dragged to this clothing store by Reno one day and forced to model the most ridiculous (and, in his opinion, embarrassing) outfit this place could have fostered onto him. Reno had enjoyed every second of it. Because of course his partner had. It had probably only encouraged the redhead to have fun whenever he keyed in on Rude's awkwardness towards most of the job.

Now, however, he was stuck with it. Much of the time he and Reno worked together. The designer seemed to like it when the two of them wore matching outfits to compliment one another or to compare the two styles against one another. It tickled Reno's fancy but Rude continued to find it exasperating.

Sometimes they didn't work together though. Reno would get whisked away for another project while Rude stood out in prominent view to advertise the new style, or they just wouldn't end up with the same shift every other day. So Rude could be found either in the back with one of the seamstresses tweaking the outfit they had him modeling for anyone also working the job to find, or out on the sales floor modeling one of the new outfits that was already ready to be requested and bought by customers where anyone could spot him.

The store owners tended to like to fit Rude with either sleek, modern-esque designs reminiscent of his usual business suit but with the local Victorian-like twist, or, for some reason the Turk could not figure out, various flowing robe styles many of which he suspected were intended as ceremonial garb (such as the first one for Bonding ceremonies that the designer had gleefully put him and Reno into their first day).

IV. Minor Monster Growing Pains

The past few days Rude had been more itchy than usual. He noticed there was a pattern but tried not to grow concerned despite the fact that he couldn't think of a reason why he would have itchy skin--particularly since it was only in a few places and the skin there didn't appear to have any issues. But those places wouldn't stop annoying him and even applying a cream didn't help. He chose to studiously ignore it and not think about the implications. No reason for needless concern over something he couldn't control. No matter how much it bothered him on a deeper level, he just kept shoving it further down.

Then something unexpected happened. One day Rude woke up to find something strange as he looked in the mirror. He might not have noticed it until later if he wasn't so immaculate with his look, spending the careful time to manage his beard. As he was working on his jawline he paused for a moment as he stared into the mirror. Then he ran his finger up the length of his ear to confirm what his eyesight already told him was true. His ears had elongated over night. His first thought was of how fantasy elves were described and his second was of some of the more humanoid monsters that roamed the land, unusually pretty and siren-like. He scoffed at that. If this world made him into some sort of feather-y or fish-y siren beast he wouldn't be amused. It certainly didn't seem to fit him though he supposed that probably didn't matter to this world.

He sighed and finished his business as usual and hoped that Reno wouldn't notice this early in the morning. Though the changes were inevitable he had hoped to avoid them for a little longer than this. He also hadn't considered what would change first or how too much yet since he still had no clue what it was he was supposed to become. This didn't really help him narrow it down yet either.

- - -

As the day went by Rude found that the itchiness factor had stepped up a notch. Now he began to suspect more changes on the way as one of the areas still itchy was around his ears. While it was highly irritating he managed to be thankful for it; he'd heard the stories about how many of the transformations were not very pleasant and had expected the worst. If this was his first step into monsterdom then at least it wasn't the worse of experiences so far.

When the sensation got to its worst heights Rude stepped inside a public establishment--whatever was closest, it didn't matter what--to get out of the heat. He was distracted by something unusual on his head as he rubbed the area around his ears. It almost felt like hair with his gloves blocking the exact texture from his fingertips. Except--

He pinched at it and pulled till it came off. He stared at the offensive thing in his hand for a long enough moment to be noticeable. It didn't help that he hadn't really gotten that far into the door to wherever he'd escaped inside. He might have even accidentally bumped into someone without care as he frowned down at the deep purple feather caught between his fingertips.

So. Was he turning into a bird? The irony was not lost on him.

- - -

The itchiness didn't get any better as the day wore on and Rude grew feathers around his ears and down the back of his neck. In fact, the Turk was positive it got worse and even spread to new areas. His elbows were the worst offenders and he had the distinct feeling it didn't help that presumably more feathers were growing there, stifled under his clothing and shifting awkwardly due to the fabric. He was almost constantly rubbing at his elbows by evening time. Even though he kept telling himself to stop he couldn't help it and five minutes later he'd catch himself rubbing at them again.

If he wasn't scratching at his elbows or ears, he was rubbing the back of his neck and feeling the downy feathers there, or trying awkwardly to reach around his shoulders to rub at his back a little. It had spread to his shoulders and some places on his back. It was just getting more and more awkward as the day went on. Eventually he took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie so that his shirt hung more loosely and aired out better. It helped with the itchiness a little but he also found that unfortunately now he could reach the feathers on his shoulders and plucked at them unconsciously as he wandered aimlessly.

That's when he finally started to head back to the apartment and get away from prying eyes. He just couldn't take it anymore. Belatedly, he realized he probably should have headed back a lot earlier in the day, when he first discovered the feathers growing in honestly, but he thought if that was as bad as it was going to be then he could weather it out. He'd had worse in the form of physical and magical injuries after all, what were a few feathers growing in? He was a Turk, damnit, he could tough it out. But he realized that was just his hubris whispering to him and he should have been more cautious. What if something else had decided to sprout that was much worse than a few quills?

As his steps hurried he pushed his way through the crowds with little remorse as to his actions. It wasn't as though he was actively trying to shove people around, but he wasn't going out of his way to avoid it either. If people were in his way he just didn't seem to care and his intimidating build tended to lend itself to making him room through the crowds.

V. Wildcard!

[[Feather shenanigans can be added to other prompts for added fun. If you think of anything else you would like to see and/or play out, let me know! I'm probably up for it for fun times. I can be reached by PMs and pings to aisuyoukai. Or just tag in with the idea and see how it goes!]]

Comments

[electrod]

The completely stunned expression on Reno's face (that followed the initial annoyance at having his hair pulled, excuse you) tells Rude that the is as blindsided as him by the whole "marriage" mention. He cocks his head as the tailors nudged his arms in the position they want them to stay in, and then works needles way too close to comfort.

"Yeah, the job mentioned Mirrorbound inspired fashion, there wasn't a word about that" he reminds, but the peacock harpy shrugs and gives them both a piercing glare.

"I'm paying you, so you're going to model what I want you two. Don't go shy on me lads. If turns out you have to stay overtime, I'll pay you extra."

Well, the promise of pay does smooth Reno's ruffled feathers, though he still glances at Rude first to see what's his opinion on the subject. Reno's shameless enough that he would let them put in about just anything if they needed to, but if it's in tandem with Rude that kind of changes everything. If his partner withdraws from the deal, he can only back him up.

[grandspark]

Some of his annoyance was assuaged by Reno's surprised look. The fact that his partner hadn't been aware either made him feel a little better. At least it wasn't just a joke for Reno's entertainment.

That just left it as a part of the job. The Turks had a pseudo motto about how they got a job done no matter what but this wasn't an assigned job for the Turks. Rude had a work ethic of his own to contend with but it wouldn't exactly hurt his reputation if he refused to do something so ridiculous for a few gil--or whatever it was called here, he was blanking on the new term at the moment.

His eyes locked with Reno as he debated inwardly about his response. They could use the money. He doubted Reno had much of a qualm so long as he was getting paid. From the look on his partner's face that meant it was all up to him.

His face fell a little bit, but he nodded acquiesce at Reno. He would do it. They needed the money. Not him, but them. He'd do it for Reno if that's what the redhead decided.

It was just a stupid outfit and a day. He'd live.

[electrod]

That small nod was everything he needed.

"You pay us extra, boss, you get whatever you want." Reno stated as if to end the conversation, but effectively shifting the priorities. From 'working extra hours' to 'being paid extra for unspecified projects'. The designer seems to get, but only huffs and clicks the tongue. Then it's chaos again. Wear this, take that off, incredible— Reno starts to almost find a thrill in the anticipation of what they might be put in next.

Then as they're being pulled apart for the main event, each into their own room, he instructs loudly.

"Remember. Black is my colour. Some of us were destined to wear it, like me!"

Or maybe the thrill sits in the fact that he can't wait how well they will make Rude look again. The group are professionals at what they do after all.

[grandspark]

Rude would have been more amused by Reno's last call out if it hadn't been a long day of changing clothes and standing still for the fashionistas to gawk and squabble over. The handling got better as the day went along and Rude began to anticipate what was needed ahead of time but it was still trying to be pushed and pulled and repositioned constantly.

Some of the clothing the two of them had been placed in was amusing to see. He even liked a few of the outfits and would gladly accept them as part of the payment if offered. On the other hand, there were plenty of things that had chaffed, fit awkwardly, or were just plain horrible in his own opinion of fashion taste. And he wasn't looking forward to the final outfit not one bit.

Rude had gotten the impression that they would be modeling this one for a larger audience, too. Like, to attract attention outside for potential customers to delight in and find a reason to enter the shop and browse around. He had understood that was a possibility for the job but definitely hadn't expected it to be for this type of clothing.

He shuffled into the separate room reluctantly and let the workers help change him into the new outfit. It was nothing like what he was expecting. He wasn't surprised that he needed help getting it right, either, once he figured out what they were doing. Why were there so many layers? Woe be it to anyone who chose something like this in the summertime.

In the end he had to be tugged gently out of the changing room to even step outside where someone other than the helper could see him. He felt the first signs of his cheeks heating up and tried to squash the feeling quickly before they turned red. He took a deep breath and looked up and around, looking to see if Reno was already out and being preened over. He had a good demeanor for this sort of thing. Always looked good in whatever they put him in, even the ridiculous outfits, and always with a casual air that made it impossible to hate him for the ease with which he wore everything handed to him.

[electrod]

Where they covered Rude with layers, Reno was given a form-fitting treatment, but also given more overdone with adornments— there was a moment of disappointment when it turned out only one of his ears is pierced, but he was quick to mischievously direct them at his partner. Whether they took his advice or not, is something that he's very curious about, given that they've been separated.

And now the supposedly harder part of the job comes (or easier, depends who is asking)— not being just models for tailors, but presenting the clothes as live models for an audience. Limited audience, given its just people who come into the shop, but still. Reno doesn't have a problem in flaunting his new, elegant, overly designed outfit— but he knows Rude well, and supposes this part might be a little harder on him.

One of the shop clerks announces them as wearing the newest Bonding ceremony attire, inspired by different trends brought by the Mirrorbound— and modeled by no one other but a pair of Mirrorbound themselves. Reno takes place next to Rude, grins, and strikes a pose putting his hand around his partner's wrist.

"We're getting really nice extra for this, I made a share of it—" he mutters as if to placate Rude. This is going to be worth it, he swears!

One of the clients approaches, eyeing them both curiously. "Now you make quite a pair" she muses as she reaches hand and takes on the edge of Rude's robe, as if to check the fabric it's made of, to check the decoration at the hem—

Reno flashes a grin.

"The best here." He states with no humility whatsoever "If you're looking for inspiration, you've found the right place." he bites his tongue to not give her a nickname, they're on a job after all. Though how fast he attempts to intercept her attention could be seen as attention-seeking... or territorial behaviour. Especially given how they pose the Bonded attire right now.

[grandspark]

He made a noise of acknowledgment at Reno's words about the money. But if he was going to reply further it was lost as he buttoned up as the curious lady came towards them. He stiffened at the close proximity and her hand on the robe. He kept quiet and let Reno do the talking for him. He didn't want to make his awkwardness obvious by speaking right now.

A part of him might have been amused by Reno's antics. He wasn't surprised that the redhead was making the best of it. He liked to put on a show whenever possible. This certainly wasn't a secret op or anything so Reno had the run of the show. Rude didn't mind, it was just a little embarrassing sometimes.

Like when he played up the whole Bonded/wedding/whatever thing going on with their roles. It wasn't that big a deal but Reno's flamboyancy was definitely different from his own stoic demeanor and especially here today. He supposed Reno was just making the best of it but Rude felt awkward in these robes, stuffy and weighted down. He tried not to think about what they represented but Reno made that hard.

He glanced at Reno with a raised brow but his gaze didn't linger for long. His attention returned to the lady as she released his robe. He would breath more easily once she stopped admiring and went to buy something. If she asked him anything about this get-up... well, he wouldn't have a good answer for her so hopefully she wouldn't bother with the poor models.

[electrod]

"Is it true—" she wonders aloud "That you Mirrorbound mostly Bond with each other?" Seemingly her attention is divided, between Rude's elegant and rich display of finery, and Reno's cocky attitude. And cleavage, if the glances were any indication.

No better distraction than showing some skin it seems.

The question itself though is not enough for Reno to display confusion about.

"I heard that's the case, yeah— we're all guests or refugees as some would say. Oddities stick to their own, right?" The confidence Reno says it with could fool someone that he has given the subject some thought or is speaking from experience. It's all bullshit though.

The woman seems to be satisfied with this answer, at least until she raises her head and addresses Rude directly, with a slightly teasing smile.

"Are you Bonded then? Like you advertise? Or is it just smoke and mirrors"

[grandspark]

The sly look and gentle tease of her tone combined with the subject of the question was enough to cause Rude to blush lightly. It was, technically speaking, a fair question.

But it caused Rude to think about the idea and that was a slippery slope.

He cleared his throat and adjusted the robes on his shoulders. "No. It wasn't our idea. It's just what they asked us to wear."

Which was truth enough.

[electrod]

The woman didn't seem to be disappointed by the reply, no, she simply seemed to be more delighted at the prospect of Rude entertaining her with answers. And reactions.

That, frankly speaking, didn't sit too well with Reno. Not the part where he wasn't getting much attention, but the part where she seemingly found out that Rude could be teased— hey, he's a professional, he's not going to let this gig go south because he really wants to say something crass and get her to back off. But isn't it so tempting.

"Does it mean you're still on the market?" she asks Rude coquettishly, and that's the point where Reno can't keep silent any longer.

"Question is, lady, are you sure you can afford the price range?" he tilts his head and slides into the view with a grin, friendly enough to smooth the comeback. We're all just joking here, right?

[grandspark]

Flirting was a double-edged sword with Rude. He enjoyed it when he was out for a good night, prepared and ready to pounce on his own. He was, however, much less cool when it came in unexpected moments or when he truly admired a beautiful woman. Something about those scenarios got to him and tied up his tongue.

Getting used to the tone, however, let him slip behind that calm veneer he cultivated most of the time. The lady had surprised him before and, moreover, had brought up an awkward point of conversation for him, but now they were back to something more normal. Rude wasn't beyond a bit of flirting. Reno didn't always have all the moves between the two of them.

The redhead was, unfortunately, always quicker to the draw than him though. Rude frowned slightly at his partner's answer, ruining the start of a smile at the lady's efforts, annoyed with the way it made him sound.

"Reno..."

He sounded disappointed.

Don't make him sound like a whore, Reno. He didn't need to get paid to get laid.

Ignoring his partner studiously now, he met the woman's gaze steadily. "Yes."