knifemonopoly | IC inbox

Yes!! Yes, let's have a boat party! The second or third should work...I have a Mana quest I need to take care of on the first, but it should be over by sunrise.

hell ye yo! sounds great ill letchu know the time prolly gonna be bout 2 or 3 swhen i wake up!

I'll make sure Ryou knows, too. Is there anything else I should bring, besides enough beer for -- how many people are coming?

hell ye yo! uh shit lesse neku josh me shoka nanami rindo you ryou an gladion. invitin him fer rindo the boys got anxiety and the other makes him happy. i think there might be a crush there not sure.

Anxiety about other people, I assume? Since being afraid most of the time isn't unreasonable around here...

about everythin yo you know those small dogs that just shake all the time chicitas or chowwowwahs or whatever hes like that

so like not just cuz of ryslig

I see...then, we'll make him as comfortable as possible. Luckily, I know of a place that sells beer by the barrel...

[atem.]

[Beat WANTS to say please don't alcohol poison the boy. But he might like it so.]

sounds good to me yo whats ryous fav snack aint gonna be makin big meals on a boat i dunno if the yak got shit like that but ima pack coolers full of crap whats yers too

Well...Ryou likes sweet bread and cream puffs, pastries like that...and I like falafel and dried fruit.

[Sometimes, Atem wonders where Beat finds the money for all this...but it's also not his business, and if the source is "dead human/monster extortion," then Atem's way past caring about it.]

[Grand Theft and eating rich nasty humans who beat their families.]

got it dude we gonna have a fucking wild ass party and if someone dont flash they tits at least once i will be sorely upset so prepare to getchyer eyes full of my boobs cause i know i got the best outta all yall

[why is that making him feel competitive.]

is that so?

[is this vampire arrogance? where is this coming from? why does he want to have better boobs than beat. is he going to make a very poor decision and shapeshift to pooka just to compete here? he? he might?]

hell ye yo you aint seen me beefed up yet have you aint no one got nothin on me and the boys

[tossing down the gauntlet atem do you dare to try and out boob him]

[Not long after the coils retreat enough for Ryou to step out of them, he instead chooses to lean forward and press a soft, lingering kiss to Atem's forehead. It's a loving gesture, and one that expresses gratitude as well as the fact that Ryou didn't want to leave, really.

He just has to, in order to fix what he'd done.]

Be right back.

[And off he goes to the bathroom to fetch some supplies. He takes a few extra moments to wash Atem's blood off the hand he'd used to apply pressure with, but other than that, he's back pretty quickly. In hand, he's brought some antiseptic (which is probably extremely useless to a monster, but still), a piece of gauze, and a small roll of bandages.

If he hadn't tapped into a vein, and if this wasn't someone important to him, he'd be quite happy to simply slap a bandaid on it. But...Ryou's the worrying sort, so here he is! Being concerned! And doing wound care the right way!]

Alright, let's get you patched up, shall we? Then, maybe we can get close again.

[A small smile, almost coy if it wasn't so soft. He won't let this switch go to waste. He wants to canoodle and spend time with Atem like this, especially after realizing how long he's been out. It makes him feel lonely, even though he hadn't felt the time pass as such.]

Those are pretty big words...we'll see if you can back them up. The competition might be tougher than you think!

[He's tilting his wrist back and forth, looking at the bite with odd fascination, when Ryou comes back.]

"Patched up"? [he repeats, amused.] Really. You're making it sound worse than it is!

[as ryou tends to it though

the snake tail

will sort of

start to wrap.

starting with the thicker middle section, then passing through a u-shape, slowly -- unless it's called out -- adding more and more tail.]

Yes, patched up! A bite is a bite, and I'm not a vampire like you. So you'll just have to endure me fretting over you, I suppose.

[It's a little snarky, but not in a spiteful way. Ryou doesn't have a single ounce of spite towards Atem right now, he's just...being who he is. Overly concerned with simple things, and ready to help as best he can, even if sometimes it seems silly!

He spritzes a little of the antiseptic on the cut quickly, giving an apologetic flick of his eyes downward before he presses the gauze to the bite, and then begins to wrap the wound.

...He says nothing of the tail slowly working its way around him. But he does smile as more of Atem's coils encroach into his personal space. It's fine. His personal space is joint-owned.]

I know it'll heal fast...but I do these kinds of things because I care. And because there's no reason to risk infection, right?

[The little snakes hiss, when the antiseptic goes on! Atem presses his mouth tight, but doesn't complain; the little ones are more emotive. They don't strike, though, and Atem sounds calm and at ease when he replies:]

No...there's reason to take chances.

[He gives a shrug! And a sheepish grin.]

I don't mind being looked after by you, you know!

[Ryou isn't sure if he should feel flattered or not, but his fingers pause in their work when Atem says that.]

I'll always look after you. As long as we're together here, you're my priority. Even if it's something as small as this...you deserve to be taken care of, always.

[Too-long fingers continue their work after that, and Ryou releases Atem's arm from his care, before shuffling a little closer, as close as Atem's snake half lets him get.

(as if they weren't close enough already)

Whatever supplies are left float lazily back, settled on the nearest flat surface as Ryou leans down enough to press their foreheads together.]

The only risks I want you to take are calculated ones. But then...I trust you better than I trust myself with that kind of thing. H-haha!

Sorry for disappearing. I'm fine. Just fell asleep for a month.

Are you alright?

What kind of chaos did I miss?

[Komaeda looks between the hole they've dug up and Atem, taking a moment of quiet before he suddenly bursts out with a short, awkward laugh. He feels the tension and sadness melt from his shoulders at once.]

I'm glad you did, [he smiles as he says it, trying not to stare at the way Atem's tail cutely whips the dirt and leaves up into a little cloud.] Being with you like this... It makes my heart feel like it's healing.

[He pulls his bag around his side and shuffles forward in the dirt on his knees, setting it into the hole.]

I think with you as my help, we'll definitely have fun fulfilling Mana's quest.

[Komaeda doesn't have the same stamina a werewolf'd Atem does. All the running, playing, digging and eating they've done has finally caught up to him. For now, they've settled on resting near the campfire, which is very much welcomed, but is sort of making the exhaustion catch up to him. He has to fight to keep his eyes open, amidst the calming sounds of crackling fire and wind in the trees.

He has his knees tucked comfortably to his chest, when Atem speaks up. With his head leaning on his forearms, his cheek squished, when Komaeda replies there's a little slur to his words.]

Hmm...? Yeah, I do.

[He gives a tired little laugh, recalling the memory of an Atem that feels nothing like the guy he knows now... Except in a few of the important ways.]

You still have that same sense of righteousness, you know. But... I'm glad you've grown beyond being just the ghost that possessed Yugi-kun. I like you more, like this.

Yes...!

[The tension melts, and now it's just time for fun...! Atem's tail picks up faster, a doggy grin on his face.]

All right! Time to bury it!

[He turns to the side, 90 degrees away from the hole, and uses his hand to kick the dirt they displaced back over their backpacks! Scratch scratch scratch!]

Do it like this -- it's faster than cupping your hands!

[No kidding.]

Mmm...

[He hums, looking for a path to bring this up.]

...I'm wiser, like this, than I was. I have a better idea of when to fight, and when to let matters go...

...

[Time to bite the bullet. If this ruins everything, then...well, then it's Atem's fault, and there was never any helping it. What's done is done, and hoping Nagito won't find out will only make it worse when it finally comes out.

He sits up. This isn't the kind of confession you make while taking it easy on your back -- it's too serious for that. He should be upright, with his shoulders straight, to face it head on.]

...the truth is, I ran into Nanami, while I was like that. And, because I didn't know better than to fight with a monster over a human...I tried to stop her from killing, in the way I knew how.

A shadow game.

[Komaeda is wearing sandals... and also has a big and bulky mertail! But still, if Atem is insisting he should kick the dirt back over the hole, he's going to do his best.

His best is rather pathetic looking, but after taking off his shoes, he does manage to scoot a bit of dirt over their bags and not be a complete freeloader. Luckily, his claws and webbing help a bit with it, even if it's not as effective as a werewolf's hindpaws.]

This is so... physical!

[He huffs as he sets back down onto his haunches and pulls over the water bottle he brought with him. With a few chugs, he'll be back to normal, but he's still catching his breath a bit.]

I'd imagine that a werewolf's muscles are much more handy for this sort of thing... A merperson doesn't need to have strong legs when it's their tail doing all the work...

[Komaeda nods along. Yes, he's well aware of how much wiser Atem has become, and calm too. His journey to becoming a priest has really given him a chance to learn when it's time to stick his neck into things and when not to.

Meanwhile, the Atem that he remembers meeting was much like the one he first met—always the first one sprinting into action.

But this conversation, the tone of it doesn't feel very reminiscing. As Komaeda listens, a pit forms in his stomach, with its weight nauseating. He knows what to expect from a shadow game, and in mere moments, his eyes have blown wide with the litany of scenarios he can imagine.

Nanami didn't say anything about this. Did she not want to worry him? Was she hiding it from him? Maybe she didn't trust him enough to tell him about fighting with Atem... Or maybe she felt like she couldn't, because of their relationship.]

What did you do...?

[The question feels more like an accusation than a needling for information. Its intention is clear—did you hurt her?]

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the return of 6:30am kitten go to sleep tags

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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.