middaeg | You said let's revel in our time [closed & open]

[Yeah, Akutagawa can keep thinking that he has a chance to become Dazai's most worthy ally here, but that's just not going to happen. Unless Oda leaves, but --

That would present a whole bunch of other problems ~~namely, a sad Dazai~~, so that's not even worth spending a moment of thought over. Instead, Dazai is content enough just using his former protege for his needs. Which in this case, means paddling the rowboat.

He can't help but blink a few times as he watches the other man try (and fail) to get the rowboat started. Hm.

Before Dazai can come up with a Master Plan to help get things rolling, here, the Witch guiding the expedition notices their plight and gestures, uttering some word that he can't really pick up on. But the oars start to move on their own, which both delight and fascinate the detective.]

Oh!

Well, I suppose these oars have some magic in them. [He'll poke at a handle out of curiosity, not that doing so will teach him a thing.

After a short amount of time, the air will turn cool, sending a chill right down Dazai's spine. He's still wearing his standard trenchcoat, but it's thin -- not thick enough to block the bitter cold.]

Cold. It's -- very cold. [Are his teeth chattering a little? Yes, yes they are.]

[ akutagawa is only paying half-attention to his surroundings, so he ends up starting when the boat begins to suddenly move. he gives dazai a tight frown, but otherwise remains silent as usual. he ends up sitting, arms and legs crossed, and watching the scenery as dazai eventually settles down.

the quiet is appreciated, because there really is something curiously beautiful about the tundra-like landscape, and akutagawa is just about to treat himself to some deep and poetic thought, but dazai is once again a distraction. ]

Mm. Yes... It is.

[ akutagawa glances at him, and dazai looks utterly miserable. why he didn't wear any extra layers is beyond akutagawa, but he supposes not everyone gets cold easily like he does-- and anyway, his trench coat is just enough to keep the cold from being uncomfortable.

as much as akutagawa would like to offer dazai his coat (which is, not at all), he knows there's no possible way his sickly body wouldn't catch its borderline death out in these elements. he would definitely get sick, and seriously ill at that knowing his lungs. akutagawa knows how to take care of himself in such situations, but why risk it?

plus, dazai is a big boy with fully operational lungs. he'll be fine. ]

[In a way, Dazai is genuinely impressed with how well Akutagawa is handling the sudden change in temperature. He's a sickly man, very thin in stature (much like Dazai,) so the fact alone that he isn't freezing at all is -- well, it's enough to elicit a comment from Dazai:]

How are you handling this?

[The trenchcoat he's wearing can't be that thick; Dazai remembers it well enough from his days in the Mafia. It's not a winter coat or a puffer jacket, or anything of the like. It's relatively thin, enough to where bitter cold can pierce right through it if it wants.

Wrapping his arms around his chest just a little tighter, Dazai attempts to clench his teeth so they no longer chatter. He doesn't bother to say anything, not even a word, since doing so would break his focus. But thankfully, the boat ride doesn't take long, and before he realizes it, they've arrived at a camp.

Camps tend to have campfires, so he's excited.]

Looks like we've arrived. Hah -- finally!

[When the boat is docked by the power of magic, just like how the oars had moved on their own, Dazai hops out from his seat and restlessly bounces around on his feet while he waits for the other man to follow.]

[ truthfully, akutagawa is cold, but curiously enough, it isn't as painful or all-encompassing as it usually is for him. while he isn't necessarily warm at the moment, he almost feels as if he'd gone for a brisk jog or something to that effect already. this has been the situation for days, honestly, but akutagawa chalked it up to an oncoming fever or something of the sort.

akutagawa looks to dazai at his question, before how cold it really must be truly dawns on him. he has to admit, it is a little jarring to have his body temperature heightened like this, but it isn't a bad thing for right now. that being said, he has no intention of letting dazai in on the minute change in his body, lest the other man fuss him into leaving this excursion. he does not want to look weak in front of dazai!!! ]

I'm fine. There's no need to be concerned for me.

[ he's grateful for the silence, since no conversation means no chance of him saying something balls-to-the-wall crazy or awkward, but akutagawa is grateful as well when they finally make dock. with deliberate, elegant steps, akutagawa follows dazai out of the boat, before looking to and fro. there are a few other boats that had landed before them, akutagawa notes. ]

I wager the camp is that way.

[ he nods towards That Way, a wall of evergreens. ]

There are footprints, coupled by the lingering scent, of other people in that direction. Everything is probably just behind those trees.

[ their fellow monsters and witches sure smell...strong. akutagawa wrinkles his nose. ]

I smell fire as well.

[Considering the fact that Dazai's body has been undergoing changes as well, he wouldn't be surprised at all to hear that Akutagawa's is undergoing something. If anything, Dazai could hazard a guess that there has to be a change of some sort occurring, seeing as how he's handling the sharp temperature change so well.

But for now, he personally needs that campfire. Badly.]

You smell all of that? [Wait.

What?

Since when can his former protege pick up on scents like this? Dazai blinks and tilts his head a moment as he ponders the possibilities. He doesn't have an acute sense of smell, not at all, so if Akutagawa is changing in any way, shape or form, he can't possibly be turning into a vampire. Which means that he may be shifting into a different type of monster altogether.]

Hm. Now I'm curious -- have you felt different since arriving here?

[He'll walk in the direction of those evergreens as he asks this, because he needs the warmth of that fire like, yesterday.]

Change in what you want to eat, perhaps?

[ akutagawa blinks, taken back by how incredulous dazai seems of his observations. the fire, the stench of other people... all of it seems fairly obvious to him. ]

Yes. Of course. Do you mean to tell me you do not?

[ at first he wagers it might have something to do with blood and scent and vampires, some lore he isn't aware of, but the more dazai seems to ponder, the more akutagawa has his doubts about that as well. he, too, assumed he would change in some way since he isn't a witch, but nothing has outwardly appeared, unlike what he's seen happen to others. ]

I suppose I have had a craving for meat and tubers lately...

[ any kind of meat he could get his hands on, really. he's always liked squashes and taters n crap, but he's been ravenous for them lately. ]

Ah, and blueberries. Especially blueberries.

[ meat, squishes, and blueberries......the favorite foods of dogs...or wolves... how peculiar! ]

No.

[Honestly, Dazai's sense of smell has been the same as it has always been, though he has found himself more interested in consuming meat that's closer to rare than well-done. But considering his dream where he'd reunited with Oda, he's not surprised. He's expecting, based off of that dream and his theory about the future, that he'll be turning into a vampire in time.

He's not quite sure how he'll be coping with that, but Akutagawa and Oda have both said that they'll help with the feeding part of the transformation, at least.]

I see. Aren't those the things that -- wolves and dogs eat? [He's no expert on that, but he can guess. And his guess is that Akutagawa may be changing into a dog.

Dazai hates dogs, so --]

You're a dog, aren't you? Taking the nickname of yours literally, hm.

[He makes it to the campfire and sits on a log adjacent to it, rubbing his hands together vigorously.]

Not the way to get on my good side, Akutagawa-kun.

[ ...oh. ]

A dog? That's preposterous.

[ even after dazai takes a seat and begins warming his hands, akutagawa remains standing for the moment, his normally aloof expression showing the smallest hint of disdain. ]

A dog would be too cliche, even for this situation. No, if I am a canine, it is most likely to be a wolf. That's right, I must be a werewolf, or perhaps a jackal.

[ a wrinkle of his nose, before he finally sits down next to dazai. he does maintain a pocket of space, however. just for now. ]

Besides, aren't blueberries toxic to dogs? I wager I would be dead by now, given how many I have eaten.

[ strawberries, akkuchin... look, he just doesn't want to be a dog either! he hates them! he never mentions it and just goes along with the dog nicknames because it's far too late now to stop everyone, but deep down, he really despises dogs too. ]

[He can't help but chuckle quite heartily at that, because -- well, Akutagawa just seems so intent on being a wolf of some sort. What if he isn't? What if he is, in fact, a small domesticated dog?

That'd be a wonderful way for Dazai to never interact with him again, honestly.

If given the choice, Dazai would choose to be a vampire any day. At least he'd still look mostly human, even if he couldn't eat anything fun again. Oh, he'll really miss crab.

As he listens to his former protege speak, he looks around and also tries to listen to some of the others -- there are lessons beginning soon, and he catches the word 'vampire' being said.]

No idea. I'm not a fan of them, so I wouldn't know. Though, there are lessons starting soon. Perhaps you could ask someone to teach you the ways of being a -- [A snicker:] dog.

[He'll then stand and wander over to the one he'd heard say 'vampire'.]

I am not a dog--!

[ akutagawa calls out to his former mentor as he begins meandering away to his own lesson spot. with a grumpy growl, akutagawa turns to do some exploring before happening upon a group of turnskins that smell both familiar and unpleasant. something about it screams 'friendly', however, so akutagawa doesn't approach the lesson with aggression.

after a few hours of lessons and an outline of what the rest of the day holds, eventually the camp breaks for lunch, which is when akutagawa eagerly approaches dazai. unfortunately, he 'followed his nose', but will keep that to himself. ]

...No one else in camp knows what a jackal, dhole, or tanuki is. Apparently wolves are uncommon among shapeshifters as well. This can only mean one thing.

[ a nod. ]

Clearly I am a rare and exotic subspecies of canine that has yet to be discovered in our world.

[ aka, not a dog! ]

[He's a dog.

Dazai is convinced of this, and while the image of such a thing is hilarious in his mind, he tries to focus on these vampire lessons instead. Which are interesting, and he finds himself soon wishing he had kept a notebook on his person. He's not Kunikida, though, so -- the only thing he has of substance is his phone and his suicide how-to manual. The latter won't be of any use here, so he'll leave it neatly tucked in under his jacket.

Once lunch time rolls around, he's approached by his former protege and listens to that explanation of what type of monster he thinks he is.

He's a dog.]

Or, you're a standard domesticated dog.

Either way, we should find some food. The lessons I received told me that soon, I won't be able to eat a thing! No more crab! [He waves his arms around drastically and whines:] I think I'd rather be dead!

[ NOPE NOT LISTENING-- ]

The possibility I am an extinct form of super-canine is there as well. Have you heard of the Megalodon, Dazai-san? It was a massive, prehistoric shark from the Miocene era. If there is a canine equivalent to such a creature, that must be what I am.

[ akutagawa nods. yup. he's a super ultra mega dog-shark. makes sense. ]

That said-- what do you mean, you won't be able to eat anything? I suppose that's consistent with vampire lore... Will you be practicing drinking blood during this expedition?

...

[He blinks and looks away, trying very, very hard not to laugh. A dog-shark is ridiculous. Ridiculous and impractical.]

I was told that I could practice feeding if I need to, but seeing as how I've done it once before, I should be fine.

[He only wants to feed from his former protege if he's desperate. No need to make Akutagawa believe he's really useful, or something.]

I feel fine right now, in fact. Not tired at all! [The slight bags under his eyes say otherwise.]

[ WAIT WHAT. ]

You've fed before?! From who?! You should have alerted me if you needed sustenance, Dazai-san! I would have been more than happy to help you!

[ not really, akutagawa is working like 3 jobs and has no time for anything anymore, But Still.

...and yeah, dazai looks ready to drop dead. akutagawa doesn't hide his dubious expression. ]

Are you certain?

Odasaku. [He says as nonchalantly as possible, almost dismissively, even. He waves his hand and starts to stand up again, stretching his legs and trying to hide the fact that he's swaying a little.

He's a liar when it comes to his health. He's weak, thanks to not having had blood in some time, but he won't admit to it. Especially not to Akutagawa.]

I'm fine. Certainly. [Taking in a deep breath:] Is the allotted lunch time over, yet? [He's stubborn about moving on and continuing his lessons.]

That man... Tch.

[ akutagawa leaves it at that. leave it to fuckass oda-san to steal dazai's attention from him...AGAIN... goddamnit! akutagawa visibly gnashes his teeth, looking just like a petulant puppy. (dun dun dunnnn.........)

and yeah, while dazai is normally the best liar there is, right now even akutagawa can tell the other man is not only full of shit, but definitely on death's door, or something like it. ]

I don't believe you. Dazai-san, I insist you rest, or at the very least sit down for awhile. Our break won't be over for some time. You would do well not to strain yourself until then.

[ akutagawa looks around, doing his best to conceal the fact he's sniffing the air. apparently fighting the transformation and the instincts that come with it can make the whole thing rather painful, so as much as he !!!hates!!! this turn of events, akutagawa is slowly coming to accept his being a sharkwolf-badgerlord, or whatever the shit he's supposed to be. ]

Perhaps you should eat something. There is meat, if you so desire. The protein might do you good.

[That man is Dazai's closest friend, and one of the reasons why he's not nearly so keen to try and drown in the nearest river. But --

He won't say anything of the sort to his former protege. There's absolutely no need for him to go on about his past, or his feelings, or his motivations for doing anything. He's just using Akutagawa for his own selfish needs, honestly. A tool doesn't need to become close to its wielder.]

I can sit.

[He moves to sit back down, stubborn enough not to lay down but intelligent enough not to keep on standing. He glances toward the other man and does wonder for a moment if he's sniffing the air.]

Practicing for your future form?

[Letting out a chuckle, he shakes his head. Meat doesn't sound appealing right now.]

Not in the mood for meat. [Unless...] Unless you can find it served incredibly rare.

You said let's revel in our time [closed & open]

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