[Closed]

[timenace]

Who: Omi Fushimi & Sougo Tokiwa
When: Backdated to the afternoon of the 3rd
Where: Omi's place
What: Meeting up to discuss potential Bonds
Warnings: Probably none

[ Regardless of any (multitude of) small flaws that Sougo might possess, let it not be said that he is neither punctual or good at directions. Despite having never even been to Omi's place prior to this Sougo does a pretty decent job at gauging the time it's going to take him to get there, and not once does he get turned around on the journey. Then again, Sougo has also been in this world for more than half a year now, so it's not that surprising he has a pretty good lay of the land at this point.

He's pretty confident he's got the right spot too, and doesn't hesitate to bound up to the door and knock with just a little more force than is strictly necessary. It's hard, because he wants to make a good impression, but he also has absolutely no idea how ones goes about doing that in a situation like this.

Sougo has also never been particular good at making decent first impressions either. ]

Comments

[pastregrets]

[At least the large house is hard to mistake for the ones around it. There's a sweet, spicy smell coming out of a slightly cracked open window, and a face framed by soft russet fur and topped by pointed ears peeks out at the knock.

Omi flashes a grin out of the window, only a touch sheepish, before backing away to open the door.]

You're right on time! I was just taking something out of the oven. It took a few minutes extra to cook, but you won't have to wait. I'm ready to go as soon as I put this towel down.

[There's absolutely no hint of any darker side of Omi, just a guy who loves being there for people and will go out of his way to assist. He's actually been baking scones for some folks who responded to try, just to thank them for replying.

Though as he lets Sougo in, he does manages to sweep him with his tail as he turns around.]

Ah, sorry. Still getting used to it being around all the time.

[timenace]

[ Regardless of what first impression Sougo is making in the first meeting, Omi's certainly hitting it out of the park already. Greeted politely and with the smell of something delicious baking in the background has to be some kind of ideal scenario, though it shouldn't be surprising considering that was what Omi's friend was advertising about him.

Not that eating is what Sougo is here for, and delicious baked scones smell or not he should probably focus on the initial goal. After all, he's managed to put off creating any sort of Bonds the entire time he's been here, and it resulted in a very messy and painful death. He'd rather not have a repeat, so this is kind of a big deal.

Not that one would be able to tell from the banal cheerfulness of Sougo's expression. Hell, even that little tail swish doesn't seem to perturb him much as he interrupts his surveying of Omi's home to glance down at the tail. ]

I don't mind. It has to be kind of weird to have your body change on you suddenly, right? It seems to happen really fast for some people too.

[ He remembers what Mikasa looked like at their first meeting verses how much more insecty she looked in their most recent hang session. The risk of explosion was a huge downside to being a Witch, but being allowed to keep his form the same has been a pretty nice plus. ]

If you need to take care of food first I don't mind waiting a little longer. It's not like I have anything else I was doing today.

[pastregrets]

[People aren't always what they seem. A look at Omi wouldn't tell you that he watched his best friend die and has hated himself for not dying instead for the last few years. There's a depth to people that stays untouched if the bearer of the pain is a certain sort.

Omi waves Sougo over to the kitchen so he can finish taking things out of the oven and wash his hands properly. Polite as ever, he consistently looks to his guest.]

The changes are pretty weird, but I sort of got used to it as gradually as it happened. The tail... Just stuck around after the full moon.

[So he's had it for, like, a day? Two?]

I won't keep you waiting, unless you're hungry. I don't intend to put you through it too badly, I'm not that kind of guy. We could come back and have dessert after...?

[timenace]

[ Only the most bizarrely honest of people spill their whole life secrets during the very first conversation they have with a person, and even someone as obnoxiously friendly as Sougo likes to keep some (or almost all) of his troubles to himself.

But it's true, Omi doesn't give the impression of someone who is deeply troubled at first glance. Even if few people are likely to be upfront with their life story at first, some people still wear the truth of their trauma on their sleeves. Omi doesn't seem the type, or at least it's not so much on his sleeve that it can be seen by someone who just met him.

Sougo hums in acknowledgement at what Omi is saying, appreciating at least theoretically how one doesn't have much of a choice other than to adjust to the new body parts.

As for the question, his face lights up slightly. ]

I'm not too hungry right now that I need to stop and eat, but after this I probably would have room for dessert.

[pastregrets]

[Omi may or may not have been somewhat forced to divulge his trauma back home. Here... he can act like nothing's wrong, and he's fine. It's better that way.

He stops looking expectantly at Sougo once he gets that confirmation that the food is welcome. Maybe back home it's how he shows people he cares. Here, it's a defense mechanism, a safe little wall he can put up between himself and people he ought to learn to rely on.]

Great! I'll make sure we work up an appetite.

[He's putting things in nice, normal places before heading back toward Sougo.]

It was nice of you to humor me wanting a little... I guess it's like a test, isn't it? Anyway... Front yard's probably fine?

[He gestures toward the door.]

[timenace]

[ It's an easy habit to fall into for sure, hiding any pain you might be feeling with a friendly attitude and a distraction. Sougo only just started to learn to open up properly to people he'd built up months of hard earned trust with back in his own world, only to be tossed into this one entirely on his own.

He's made friends here, of course! But friendship is one thing, and even good friends aren't always given the benefit of full trust without earning it first.

So he gets it, or he would if he had any idea that something was up here. As far as he's aware this is just a nice guy who likes cooking offering him some food.

Food and a fight at least. It'll be interesting, because Sougo hasn't done too much sparring, somehow always ending up in the situation where he gets his battle experience during very real fights. He's pretty sure he can pull punches if he needs to though. He's never going into fights with the intention to kill anyway.

He stretches his arms out to loosen the muscles as he straightens his back, already making his way back the way he came. ]

Mm! Since I won't be using any magic it shouldn't be a problem. Ah, but depending the grass might get ripped up a little.

[pastregrets]

[He might admit he's retreated back into his shell here, despite having Juza around. He's a great companion and friend, but there are small complications that make Omi keep some of his guard up around him. So he cycles inside his own head and gets nowhere. His real respite is cooking. It's how he communicates without words, how he shows people he values them. He doesn't actually know that about himself, but cooking is such an automatic response to the world doing him any kind of kindness that he'll catch on eventually.

Omi's been able to avoid a lot of the fighting here, not necessarily by his own design. Wrong/right place at a given time, that sort of thing? It's plagued him. He's wanted to get more into the thick of it all. A Bond seems a gateway, too, the more he thinks about it, and it's abundantly clear that he's thinking too much even now. The way his eyes focus off to the side a bit and his brow furrows a little... His discomfort with asking after Bonds is still a little too real.

They head out, Omi closing the door politely behind them before leading the way to the center of the yard. It's open, empty other than a few miscellaneous weight training items at the moment.]

I'll worry about that later. The guys won't mind much, I don't think. They're pretty laid back. [A little laugh.] Honestly, despite my post and that little... awkwardness, I promise I'm a pretty chill guy, too.

[timenace]

[ Whether or not you have the time to get to know people in this new world, it's never going to be the easiest thing to ask another person to do for you. It takes a great deal of trust and comfort for most people to ask for something as personal as a bond, but considering the time restraints put on them all by the risk of turning feral, or worse yet literally having your own powers burn you out from inside, well...

Building that level of deep and comfortable trust isn't really an option for most of them.

It's funny though, because Sougo has always been so fast to hand out his trust in some regards, while being weirdly guarded about other aspects. He'll trust people he's known for a week with his literal life, but keep people from his feelings like they're some kind of precious treasure.

He's always been good at covering that fact up though, and if he's nervous about all of this it doesn't show on his face at all. He takes in the exercise equipment with mild interest even as he starts to pulls his arm across his chest in a stretch.

It's rare he has the chance to stretch is muscles before a fight, so he might as well take advantage of the chance to do it while he still can.

He does look a little surprised at the promise there though. ]

Eh? You didn't come across as not chill in the post though.

[ Not to Sougo at least. He didn't seem all that worked up or anything at least. ]

[pastregrets]

I didn't?

[Color Omi surprised. He's a poor judge of the way he comes across sometimes, probably due to his usual habit of overcompensating for self perceived flaws. Bad habits are a bitch to break.

He seems nothing but gentle, easygoing, and amiable, even if he's kind of big and sharp-faced, with a telltale scar on his jaw. It's possibly just because there are a ton of more lethal, rougher folks here.

Still, he thinks for a moment that Juza would be pleased Omi's making a sincere effort here, and it causes him to smile more brightly.]

That's good. I try to do what's right by people... but I try a little too hard, according to... everyone, currently? Judging by that response I got. So here I am, and I'm serious about taking care of this.

[timenace]

[ The possibility exists that Sougo's bar is set too low as well, though certainly Omi didn't seem more than a little bit embarrassed by the whole thing. That seems reasonable enough to Sougo, he can imagine how someone might feel a little flustered, even if it takes a good deal for him to feel any kind of embarrassment himself.

Whatever the case, Sougo looks pretty lease he could ease some worry there, and is fast to nod his head in agreement to what Omi says.

Honestly, the two of them have just met, so he can't say if Omi is the type to try a little too hard or not, but this certainly doesn't seem like the worst kind of character flaw a person could have. ]

It's pretty cool to be that way! But... I think here more than most places taking care of yourself is an important part of taking care of others too. It's pretty easy to hurt people if things get out of hand because you don't have a bond.

[ There's a slight change in Sougo's tone when he utters this last sentence. ]