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[Atem's bat-purr is louder in his fog form. It's clearly audible, rather than being mostly vibration. The cheek lick brings it back out.]

Okay. We'll get some wing practice in...and then we'll nap!

[He bumps their faces again. Then, a long, narrow tongue slips out to lick Ryou's cheek back. Share scents, show everyone they're attached, they protect each other.

It's with reluctance but resigned determination that Atem hauls himself to his bare, gold-clawed feet. Practice is a good idea. Flying is an important skill...it'll help Ryou to get more comfortable with his wings....]

[Ryou seems pleased with the lick back, and lets out a soft little trill that almost, almost passes as a closed-mouth meow. If they weren't going to wear themselves out further with trying to fly, he would have curled up against Atem's chest right then and there and put his wings to quite a different use--enveloping the other and keeping him close.

But flying. Ryou wants to learn how to do it. There had been something freeing about it, back when he was a vampire in his fog form. He'd been terrible at it then too, but...well, trying to sort it out with Yugi had been nice.

...at least, before Yugi disappeared. It still makes him sad to think of that...but he tries not to linger on it. Instead, he bumps his head under Atem's chin once he's standing, then moves to the door.]

It's kind of strange when I'm shorter than you, isn't it?

[It's said pretty matter of fact, not to jab. The change in perspective is always interesting to him.]

[Out of Atem's room they go! With easy-going casualness:]

I don't find it strange! As long as you don't mind the shape, any height is fine...

[He doesn't feel any different about Ryou whether he's taller or shorter. He only notices the practicalities, and how when he's bigger, the world around him feels smaller...]

What I like about this one is that it lets me fly...and hold you in a different way, with the wings.

[He opens the front door and heads out into the hall, making for the steps that lead up to the roof. He really does like being on the 8th floor...roof access is so easy.]

Oh, I don't mind. I'm just used to things being a certain way after so long. It's nice not having to duck doorways though.

[Being as tall as he usually is can be a menace, Ryou likes that sometimes, his monster switching takes him back to his once-human height. It helps him remember that he was a human, and that he missed it sometimes.

He follows after Atem, laughing awkwardly as he raises a hand to scratch his own cheek at Atem's words. It's not that he thinks it's weird, quite the opposite actually. He's just embarrassed.]

And...I suppose you're right. It's nice having wings and being able to hold someone you care about with extra limbs. I really never put much thought to it, and I've always had four extra limbs as a shade. That's pretty silly, isn't it? I should have been using them to keep you close.

[It's almost as silly as he feels using stairs to go up to the roof anymore. Walking? Why walk when you can phase up? For that reason, he also enjoys living on the highest floor of the complex, but...well, walking is currently necessary]

[At the last possible second, before they go out into the open air, where anyone might be present and anyone might hear--]

I wouldn't have minded that!

[A red-eyed wink -- and then, he's out in the foggy twilight, up on the roof. Better follow him, and be careful how you flirt!!

Although, the roof looks quiet...lucky for them, they have it to themselves...]

I don't imagine you would...

[Thank goodness no one's around, or Ryou might have sputtered incoherently. But...it's just the two of them. Ryou can tell, his ears hear so very much. So he lets it pass, even though his face heats up a bit at the implication.

He heads outside, then lets out a soft, satisfied sigh. Really...he does like it up here. Oftentimes for the darkness he can hide in...but right now, he enjoys the open air.

Once they're out completely in the open, he takes a long, deep breath. Bavan might be a city with a reasonable population...but it still smells decent around here, and besides that, Ryou smells more than just the city air. He smells many things, though not as clearly as he could when he was a werewolf. Still, he can isolate the scents of people they know, vaguely. They must like it up here from time to time as well.]

It's nice out, see? Worth the trip, at the very least.

[A small breeze ruffles through his feathers, and Ryou reflexively spreads his wings, allowing it to move along his primaries and also cool the membrane of his opposite, more fleshy wing.]

Okay, but... if it ever becomes a liability for you, don't worry about me.

[Cairo's thinking about Mukuro saying that the Fog doesn't really abide by human rules, on account of being a god, and she doesn't trust a god to not weaponize gifts. She knows enough of the Bible to know what a god's favor can look like. It's not like Cairo's going to look a gift horse in the mouth, but she also wants it to be clear that she'll take the L if this becomes a problem.]

Not that I think that's going to happen, but if it does.

It is.

[He likes it up here. That feeling is carried in his tone...the roof's a good place. He has a lot of good memories up here. Atem takes a moment to breathe, too...

...before he turns to teasing.]

Ready to jump off the edge?

[He nods.]

And if it becomes a liability for you, let me know. I don't expect anything will go wrong, but if it does...

[If the benefit turns out to have strings for Cairo that Atem doesn't know about, and the situation would be better for her if the boon were revoked, he wants to know. This is meant to help, and if it doesn't, then it's no good, is it?

But until she says she no longer wants it...she'll be Atem's tier 3 protected neutral.

His manner lightens, though, now that it's settled.]

...ah, but you didn't come over to talk about this, did you?

[He's not sure if she wanted to talk about the broadcast, or why he did it, or just keep him company and eat snacks, but either way, this probably isn't what she had in mind!]

Jump? Oh, come now, we can't just jump eight floors down! That's silly!

[Right? Atem couldn't possibly mean it.]

...T-there's got to be a better way, right?

[RIGHT?!?!

Ryou's tail flicks nervously, then he moves closer to the edge, hands clasped to his chest. He doesn't do it on purpose, but all the same, his wing flare wide open, as if to somehow catch him if he slips. If only he could control them better while in actual flight...]

Did anyone teach you, Atem? I think...w-well, the first time that you took this form...wasn't it during the tree event?

[Yes, Ryou calls them events. He may as well just own up to the game rhetoric more openly, he does quantify it as such pretty often.]

[A little more somberly:]

Yes, it was. There was no one around to show me how to use my wings. But everyone I knew was missing...I knew that if I was going to search for my missing friends, the best way to do it was from the air. With my monster type, I was able to pick up speed fast, so I found the nearest hill, and...taught myself.

[It had been frightening. Lonely. Trapped in a new, unfamiliar body, having to learn it by himself...knowing his friends needed help, and knowing that if he messed up, he'd get caught like they did...]

But, of course, I mean a practice round! Jump off of that, back onto the roof, with your wings out. See if you can get some lift.

[He nods at the railing that runs around the roof. It's a few feet high...if Ryou jumps, he might be able to get enough height to glide.]

Don't worry. If anything goes wrong, I'll catch you by the back of your shirt, and make sure you get safely to the ground.

Edited (better format) 2022-05-01 22:37 (UTC)

[Ah...

Ryou probably shouldn't have brought that up. He feels more than a pang of guilt, because he remembers all of the bad things that came of that situation. Things like trying to eat Horatio, lashing out at Atem for freeing him and saying, frankly, painful things.

He scowls at he ground, because he's an idiot and shouldn't have brought the trees up for Atem's sake, and because he shouldn't have brought them up for his sake, and because he is trying very hard to concentrate on drawing his wings in so he can turn and look at Atem without whapping him.

It takes a moment...but he manages. Extra set of arms...it's just like that. Yes. He can do this.

He moves away from the edge, then firmly tugs Atem into a hug, nuzzling his cheek.]

Just so that you know...it won't happen again. I'll be here for whenever you need help. Okay?

[Gliding can come in a second. Ryou wants to make sure...he needs to make sure Atem knows.]

[He's pulled into that hug, and the memories of last June fade back out, turn distant. The cool night air and hot blood, the stumbles and falls, the burning exhaustion and adrenaline in his undead limbs...all of that feels far away again, with Ryou here and warm in his arms.

From this close, Ryou will feel Atem relax, the tension of old, painful memories draining away. Atem nuzzles back with his big bat-head, breathing a sigh that might be a touch melancholy, but is not unhappy.]

Be careful making promises this place won't let you keep...I understand that getting help to me is difficult!

[It's why he picked the powers he did. Something he'll never be separated from...as long as the Fog exists, anyway.

Even though Ryou and Beat are both promising him they won't let it happen again...]

But I know you're here for me. I trust you...I know you'll do all that can be done.

[And that's the best Atem can ask for, the best he can hope for, in a horror setting that never lets up, not on him.]

The Fog has been empowering me to make my promises hold weight.

[That's all he says, because it's true. Like Atem, he had carefully curated his powerset so that he was stronger, more effective, and altogether better at helping others.

He doesn't want to argue the point, not when honestly, Atem isn't trying to--he's just trying to be pragmatic, which is something that Ryou often leans on. Being positive is rarely a good move, after all. Especially in this place.

That said, he can't help but curl his wings tightly around Atem while his arms give an extra tight squeeze.]

But none of that now. We ought to stay on task, right?

[...So why doesn't he unfurl his wings?]

Um...w-well, give me a minute, actually. They're not behaving.

[Surprise. Extra long wing cuddle.]

Heh heh.

[Oh, no, Ryou's wings don't want to let go. Atem takes the opportunity to make another face-nuzzle scent-mark pass, and lets the debate over whether Atem can be helped rest there: it's not that he doesn't believe in Ryou, it's that he believes Ryslig will harm him and that there's nothing anyone can do to help that.]

You'll have to make them listen to you, if you want to be a flier.

[Is he purring? There's a little bit of a purr.]

[Ryou trills softly in the back of his throat when he's nuzzled. Hey hey hey, he wants to nuzzle back. So he does, instinctively mingling scents. This is his bat. His favorite bat.

...Then his feathers ruffle a bit when Atem insists he has to make the wings listen. He does but also...he's pouting because Atem is teasing him.]

See if I hug you with them again, then...

[It sounds indignant, but Ryou is kidding.]

[Joshua promised Atem that he would let him know once Beat was safely back at home. He doesn't do so right away, though. It's been a long night for all involved, and rest could be used all around.

Thus, he waits until Beat is fed, cleaned, and relaxed enough to return to his own body and actually get some sleep before contacting Atem. Even then, it's not that easy: Beat has insisted upon sleeping in a pile with all of them, and he can't exactly sleep, but he can't exactly leave the pile, either. Propping his laptop on the sleeping Pooka's hip is all he can do, really.]

We have Beat, by the way. We found him trying to get into our house last night. Seems like all he wanted to do was go back home.

He's calmer now. We've made sure that he's fed and clean and comfortable, and he's resting for the moment. I still don't think he's in a great place, but I'm not going to prod him about it for a couple of days.

[The reply comes a few hours later, but well before sunset.]

Thank goodness...at least he's accounted for. The rest will have to come with time. Let me know when you think he's up to visitors. And, if there's anything I can do before that, just ask!

[At least that's one thing off Atem's much-too-long list of top priorities...]

[This reply comes quickly. Joshua, fortunately or unfortunately, is still trapped in the pile. It's probably going to be a while.]

He's been starved of the Pooka social need for too long, I think. We're all being kept close by, so maybe tomorrow. I'll keep you updated.

Though, I did want to contact you for more than just an update. Thank you for staying to look for him. I owe you for all you've done.

[It takes a week for Beat to settle properly back into his brain enough to contact people. He knows through Josh that Atem helped look for him, but he also has vague memories of Atem yelling at him? To him.]

ey yo givin you a shout out to letchu know im aight

thanks fer lookin fer me yo

?? an i think thanks fer?? findin me?? i kinda member you an a giant dog

[It's about a minute, as Atem thinks about his answer. There's a lot he could say.

I was the right person for that job, like you were the right one after he left the woods.

Is "owe me" a shorthand for a friendly relationship, or are you the sort of guy who keeps score?

You can have a lot of friends, but not all of them will be people you can count on when you really need help. I think Beat's one of them. I think he'd do the same for me.

He settles on none of them.]

Beat's the kind of person who makes you believe in him. He's a good guy, with a good heart...he deserves to have friends he can count on. Don't worry about it. I'm not the sort of guy who counts favors -- not unless you are!

[This time, the reply comes with a moment of hesitation to match. There's a lot that could be said here, but just how much does he want to say?]

He is. And he does, clearly. Look at how many people jumped to his rescue, how many were concerned about his safety. He's in a good place physically, even if it'll take some catching up to be there mentally.

[Another few seconds go by, and then he sends:]

Typically, I hand out favors unannounced. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of having one get turned down before. You're surprising me in a variety of ways, Atem.

[He breezes right on past the giant dog bit.]

Are you really okay? It got you...I saw what it made you into. And I saw that you tried to call us. I wish it had worked.

I know it's hard to believe, given my recent public behavior...but I'd rather have an amicable relationship than an account to balance. It's just that lately, I've stood to gain more from being a frightening figure than a friendly one... But I don't think that's true in this case!

[He'd rather not burn this bridge. Joshua's got too many interesting theories, too much he's noticed that Atem's also noticed -- he wants to pick Joshua's brain. That is ... as long as Joshua doesn't get too friendly with Atem's. The guy's gone in there without permission twice, and even though both times it's been harmless...Atem doesn't know his full capacity yet.]

Let's finish that conversation about the Sea of Souls sometime.

[By the end, it wasn't about the Sea of Souls, of course...but he doesn't feel like typing out "how this place brought us all here for a purpose and that purpose is suspicious as hell." Joshua will get it.]

[That's... honestly surprising, and for a moment Joshua sits and stares at the words on his screen, eyebrows raised. It's a roundabout way of doing it, but...]

Why, Atem, I do believe you've just proposed a friendship! Or, at the very least, an intellectual partnership.

[He nearly forgets to muffle his chuckle, still not used to being surrounded by others that are trying to sleep. No matter what this ends up being called, though, it's certainly interesting.]

I'd like that, though. Not to mention the sheer number of games we have yet to play.

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<Composing> backdated to the afternoon of 4/25

<Player1>

<Composing>

<soundsurfer>

<Player1>

<Composing>

<Player1>

<Player1>

<Composing>

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, PLAYER1. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 10.11.0.0.01 * PLAYER1 has joined 10.11.0.0.01 <PLAYER1>** If you're looking for someone you knew as Yugi before June, you've found him! It's Atem, leave a message.