aefenglom | Text

Ohhh...you're that kind of friend.

I'm not really good at pranking people or being sneaky.

What's that supposed to mean?

[If he sounds a little offended, it's because he is. But just a little, really.]

The kind that likes to make people mad because their reactions are funny.

I don't always do that. Sometimes, I'll even pay for a good meal for my friends! I have a tab at the cafe under my office, for example. Pays for everything.

[Not how tabs work, but no matter.]

Anyway, my point is -- I'll be your friend, if you're still looking for some. Name's Dazai; what's yours?

Oh that's really nice! What's the cafe like? I've never been to one before.

_{[It's okay, it's not like he knows any better.]}

Well...as long as you don't try and prank me. I'm Emil! It's nice to meet you.

You've never -- been to a cafe, before?

[That's a new one. Dazai has already gathered that this young man can't see, based off of his initial message, but that shouldn't have prevented him from ever visiting a cafe.

He's missing out!]

Well, that's about to change! Do you know where you are? Right now?

Nope! I haven't been outside very much at all.

_{[He is missing out. Emil's had a hard life okay.]}

Really? Oh um, I'm in the Coven for the time being.

That's an honest shame.

I'm not at the Coven, nor am I a Witch -- would I be permitted to stop by? Or should we meet somewhere else?

The least I can do is take you to a cafe and show you the magic of coffee!

Oh, I don't see why you couldn't stop by? Would they not let you? I can meet you in the courtyard of the Coven!

_{[Since he's memorized how to make his way there by now thankfully.]}

I don't think I've ever really tried coffee before...I remember what it smells like but I never tried it. Just tea. That said I really appreciate it! I'm excited Dazai!

[Dazai doesn't even bother to respond to that; he simply makes his way to that courtyard as soon as he hears those words, since he's now in the mood for a nice cup of coffee, himself.

He doesn't know what Emil looks like, though, so he wanders about for a few minutes until he spots a young man with his eyes covered by cloth. He must be Emil, since he'd stated he can't see.]

Emil-kun? Is that you?

_{[Bingo, it's Emil in all his tiny glory. It's only when the connection is cut that he realizes he never told Dazai what he looks like, but it seems that he'd managed to find him in the end. He's seated himself on a bench off to the side to sit quietly in hopes he'd be found and luckily he was.]}

Oh! Hey Dazai!

_{[Voice aside, the sound of the build of the person walking towards him seems to fit the profile he's constructed in his head for the man.]}

You found me! I was a bit worried you might not...

[Truth be told, Dazai almost feels a little bad for trying to troll this guy earlier. Almost. Now, however, he's going to make a point to show him the magic of coffee, and to hopefully make a friend. He's already getting some Atsushi vibes from him, which helps compel the kinder side of the detective to remain in focus.]

I'm observant. No need to worry!

[He does have to ask:]

Your other senses are stronger, I assume, so you should be just fine walking with me to the cafe, I take it?

_{[Teasing Emil too hard is a bit like bullying a puppy, not to mention the Atsushi vibes he's getting are, well, valid. Maybe it's an orphan thing to be pitiful, even if Emil's far more cheery and positive than Dazai's coworker usually is.]}

Mm, yeah. I've got good hearing so I'll be okay to follow your footsteps.

_{[As long as Dazai doesn't decide to just up and run away from him, things should be fine!]}

[Dazai would never run away from Emil, honestly. If he were in the mood to do so, he'd just run away from Akutagawa, instead. That would be entertaining and harmless! A win-win.

He still reaches for Emil's hand, even though he was told he'd be fine with just the sounds of his footsteps.]

Just to be safe!

[And with that, he starts to head toward the cafe.]

Tell me about your world while we walk. I love learning about new places.

_{[Poor Akutagawa...but thankfully Emil's no Aku. He's the exact opposite really, even if they're both respectively orphans. When Dazai reaches for Emil's hand the small boy can't help but gasp a little at the sensation of someone's fingers on his own. He doesn't dare pull away - on the contrary he holds onto Dazai's larger hand and does everything he can to keep the butterflies in his stomach down. He can't remember the last time someone held his hand and being starved for affection in any form, no matter how tiny it might be...such a simple act has a profound effect on him.]}

O-Oh sure! I'll tell you!

_{[Don't mind his pink cheeks, okay?]}

Well...in my world? There are creatures called Shades. No one really knows what they are or where they came from, but they're monsters without a truly distinguished form. They seek out humans and kill them. The world isn't exactly how it used to be either...something terrible happened to the world a long, long time ago - now things are far more simpler. There are villages instead of giant cities and nature has taken over much of what humanity once colonized. Magic also exists where I'm from, although it isn't used wildly from what I understand.

Before I came here I was on an adventure with my friends to find a cure for my petrification curse and to find a cure for a disease rooted in magic that's been ailing humans.

[If Dazai were to discover that Emil was starved for affection, he'd be reminded of Atsushi even more. Which wouldn't be a bad thing; in all honesty, he does miss him a bit, here, especially since he's stuck with Akutagawa instead.

But that's neither here nor there. Right now, Dazai just wants to listen about this unfamiliar and new world, since he had meant what he said about enjoying learning of new places. Though, he nearly stops in his tracks when he hears about petrification.

He'd read about that in a fantasy novel, once. Does that mean Emil will turn to stone here, as well?]

Emil-kun. When you say petrification curse, do you mean that you're slowly turning to stone? Does that apply in this world, too?

_{[He's lonely, Dazai. As pervasive as his sunny and upbeat personality could be, that doesn't remove the fact Emil longs to connect with others. It's dangerous to though, or at least that's how it's been for a millennia. Eventually you get used to being lonely, which makes little gestures like having his hand held all that more impacting.]}

Well, you see...it's actually the other way around. My eyes are what's cursed...anything I look at turns to stone. I was told that might not be the case here anymore but I'm afraid of messing up and hurting someone. I don't want to do that.

[That explains the cloth over his eyes. Dazai sighs softly, picking up the pace again. The cafe is in view, at least, which will give him a reason to change the topic. But first, he should comment once on Emil's predicament.]

I understand. I wouldn't want to risk that on anyone, either, if I were you. You know, back home, I had an ability that would nullify anyone else's. I wonder if it would have nullified your curse.

[He's not saying that in his normal upbeat voice. Instead, he's speaking with a serious tone, as if he wishes he could at least test it out here.

He stops right in front of the cafe.]

Well, we're here! [He's chipper again.] Would you like me pick out something for you?

You're amazing, Dazai.

_{[An ability that could nullify anyone else's...it honestly sounds like a dream. Too good to be true. He believes Dazai though, naturally. He has no reason not to. The difference in tone is noted though and the subtlety that it carries isn't lost on Emil. Of course it'd be too easy of a solution, that he'd be able to get rid of his curse, if it still lingered that is. The more time Emil spends in this world the more he wonders if it really is gone.

But! Enough of worrying over things like that! He's being taken to a cafe for the first time in his life! This is exciting and new and it's way better to focus on this than the state of his eyes, right?]}

Sure! It'd be nice to have something sweet. Don't tell me either, what you pick. It'll really be a surprise then.

[It's almost as if Dazai is looking at a shorter, younger Atsushi right now, as every word that comes out of his mouth causes him to think of his current protege.

Emil may have to take the role of his protege, here, though in a different way than Atsushi. There's no need to risk using his ability, his curse on anyone. Dazai wouldn't want to do that; he's trying to be a good person, after all.

Leading Emil into the cafe, Dazai audibly ponders the menu in an effort to pick out the sweetest drink they have. There are quite a few sweet lattes there, one in particular being pumpkin themed. It's close enough to autumn for that, he supposes.

So, he'll order that (quietly, so as to not spoil the surprise) and a vanilla latte for himself. Figuring that he won't be able to drink anything in time, thanks to his new life as a vampire, he has no qualms about ordering fancier coffees while he can.]

Mm, I'm not really amazing. Not here, anyway. Back home, I'd accomplished a lot! But I consider my life here as a fresh start.

[He turns his head to look at Emil as he says that, and then looks back at the cashier to pay. Once that's done, he heads over to Emil as he waits for their drinks to be made.]

The drinks shouldn't take long!

_{[As Emil finds himself seated he waits patiently as Dazai goes off to order, swinging his feet absentmindedly. Honestly? This is pretty exciting and even if Dazai says he's not amazing he'll have a hard time convincing Emil of that. The fact alone that he's being so nice to him and expecting nothing in return...that's amazing in of itself, isn't it? People feared him and rightly so but so far most he's come across haven't been bothered by his affliction, active or otherwise. He appreciates it, a lot. It means more to him than Dazai can probably realize.

When he's joined again by his imprompteau company there's a smile again on Emil's face as he nods, folding his hands neatly atop the table. He almost seems like a doll, what with how proper he holds himself and how petite and fair he is. Fragile even, as if he could easily break. Even if Emil knows how he's perceived by others (weak, a burden) he's glad when he can be treated just like anyone else.

And speaking of being treated...]}

Mm! I can wait. I'm pretty good at that.

_{[He's got the patience of a saint, but being alive for over a millennia will do that to you.]}

Hey Dazai? You said you accomplished a lot back home...what did you do? I mean, if it's okay for you to tell me. I'd really like to know.

Edited 2019-09-03 19:59 (UTC)

[While Emil really reminds Dazai of Atsushi, there are a few notable differences between the two of them. Namely, Atsushi isn't nearly so proper. He recalls when they'd first met and Atsushi had eaten thirty bowls of chazuke. That wasn't proper in the least! Not that Dazai minded, especially since the response to all of that food being consumed was an angry Kunikida, but --

Emil is clearly a proper sort of lad. Which is interesting and somewhat refreshing. In a way, he almost reminds the detective of Kunikida, too. ~~At least Emil likes Dazai, though.~~]

I did a lot of things. Most recently, I was a detective! One of my most notable cases was when I found and caught a tiger. [Is he going to embellish this story some? Yes.

But not until he retrieves those drinks that he hears are ready.]

One second!

[He takes about that much time to rush over to the counter, grab the drinks, and rush right back to the table. He sets the pumpkin latte in front of his new friend, and then pulls a chair back to sit in.]

Alright. Back to that case. My partner, Kunikida-kun -- he's a very strict man, so it may be a good thing that he isn't here -- he and I were assigned to find a tiger. A were-tiger. Do you know what a werewolf is?

_{[It doesn't take long for Emil to become completely enraptured by the words falling from Dazai's lips. A detective? He had to find and catch a tiger? The delight and excitement is visible as Emil sits across from his company, leaning in eagerly to hear more. And oh does he want to hear more. There are so many things he's always wanted to experience and see - living through stories and tales, through the words of others, have really been the only way for him to accomplish that.

So naturally, Dazai being a detective hunting a tiger is pretty damn cool.]}

Oh wow-

_{[But he's cut short as Dazai disappears quickly, only to return with their drinks. The sound of it being set before him on the table makes it easy for Emil to find, a dainty hand reaching out to gingerly ghost against the side of the mug. It's warm and that makes him smile as he a finger traces along the rim before his other hand joins its partner to hold it for a moment as he continues to listen.

Dazai isn't wrong that Emil's got a certain properness to him. In all honesty, he wouldn't be able to answer where it comes from. Sure, he had lived centuries as the master of his manor under the watchful eye of his butler, but the whole set up had been a sham. There was nothing rich or regal about him to warrant such treatment; most of his life had been a lie, in fact. Only recently had the full truth about his origins come back to him. In reality he was an orphan, a test subject that had been contained at a facility along with his twin sister after the death of their parents. There had been so many things he had forgotten, so many memories that had been buried...now that he's been given the chance to make new memories and new connections he's desperate to make a good impression.

He's always been timid and pleasant, but politeness too is key.]}

A werewolf? Of course I do! _{[He still hasn't taken a sip of his drink yet, despite how good it smells. He's just far too wrapped up in Dazai's story.]} Wait...are you saying your tiger was the same? A person who turns into a tiger under the full moon?

[Even though he should know better, given his past experiences with hot foods and beverages, Dazai still takes a sip from his own mug as soon as he sits in his chair, immediately regretting that decision. It's very hot, and he's forced to hold his tongue out from between his lips and sigh in an effort to cool it down.

But seeing and hearing how excited his new friend is over this story that has yet to actually unfold motivates Dazai to stop looking (and acting) like an idiot and speak again. His mouth still tingles from the heat, though.]

That's exactly it! A man who transforms into a tiger under the moonlight. Though -- after catching him, I recruited him into the Agency where I worked. He's a good kid. You remind me of him, Emil-kun! [He's shifting the story to simply talk about what had happened with Atsushi after being caught, which means that it may not be that thrilling to hear. But perhaps it could still be to Emil. He seems very focused on every word that Dazai says, anyhow.]

_{[Rookie move Dazai. Emil can hear the mistake he makes, even if the detective might not be aware of it. Of course he doesn't comment but he can picture it in his mind, a burnt tongue and immediate regret.]}

I remind you of him?

_{[There's something about Dazai saying as much that has Emil feeling warm, as if he'd already taken a sip of the sweetly smelling drink in his hands.]}

What makes you say that?

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