A Hawaiian shirt over a cheap t-shirt and cargo shorts. Oh and with sunglasses, indoors. It was like he was trying so hard to look quirky it had the opposite effect.
There's another long pause before her response comes through but this time it's because she's fully had her feet whipped out from under her by the sheer earnestness of the response and uh, also the accuracy? Seriously, that's almost a little eerie. Seeing it all laid out in plain text like that makes her feel a little silly for being so wound up about it but...
It's nice, too. She doesn't think either of them would ever come out and say "tastes like shit, mom" even if it was warranted but having her efforts recognized and appreciated isn't bad at all. ]
Hmm when you come out and say something like that, it's almost enough to make me forget you were just about to eat rotten veggies.
[ 'just about to'. sure. that's what she's going to tell herself for her mental health. ]
It's nice to know someone appreciates how hard I'm working, though. Even if it's not exactly appealing these days for an idol to be so bad at cooking. If I ever had to guest star on one of those food variety shows, I'd be the one getting cooked!
[ ... which is really just an avoidant, roundabout way of saying; ]
Thanks. I'll work hard until I can make you both something really tasty, okay?
Knowing you, wouldn't you spin it into an advantage for you anyway?
When a girl's too perfect, it can be pretty intimidating. Gap's popular enough these days, and most guys find it cute when they know someone's working so earnestly hard for them. You could even document the whole adventure.
[ Key word: 'when they know'… and maybe one day Ai can find solace in that 100% of Aqua's questionable behaviour and choice of wording isn't her fault, but today isn't the day.
In reality, he's having one of those 'Am I a fake fan for wanting to keep some of these aspects to myself??' moments. Yet, the headlines write themselves from 'Exclusive: Ai's Fatal Weakness!' to 'The Perfect Idol Has Her Struggles Too'. Except not being able to cook is a bullshit struggle compared to the ones that couldn't be spun as Just Gap— that isn't a conversation they'll likely ever have. . . ]
But sure. Looking forward to it. I'll think hard of something to give you in exchange.
[This is not what his family had predicted for him when he got his degree in mathematics and electrical engineering. However, not even his strict old-fashioned father could argue with the results. Sylvain Gautier is now one of the most sought after stage managers and designers in the industry. Usually, doing tech means being invisible, but Sylvain's work is anything but. He is legendary for custom lighting effects and sound design that enhance the performance of any musician who steps onto his stage. So of course it was only inevitable that he would work with Ai.]
[There's something about her that he likes more than the other idols he's worked with. He can't quite put his finger on it. When he asked his friend, Felix, who works security at his shows what it might be, Felix scoffed that he didn't want to hear about Sylvain's new crush. That's not it! Well, he won't deny that she's beautiful, and mesmerizing on stage, but that isn't what he means this time! At least, he thinks so.]
[A presence like Ai, and a voice like that, means he has to bring his A-game. The venue they're preparing for is huge, but the lighting system is outdated. Sylvain intends to fix that. He has brought in his own lighting board and is busy connecting it with the system already in place. He has studio headphones on, listening to Ai's music, of course, as he works. He would be easy to sneak up on from the right angle.]
[ Today, Ai and the rest of B-Komachi are adorned in starlight. Usually, their stylists favor bold and flashy colours, florescent pops of their image colours to better stand out on stage even to those at the back of the hall but today they're in pretty pastels and studded with accessories to catch the light. Their job today is to twinkle rather than dazzle – despite the size of the venue, today's been marketed as a sweeter, more intimate sort of show... or as intimate as it gets with hundreds of other fans crushed into the space and the girls still as high up and unreachable on the stage as ever.
It's a little silly. But it's the show the fans want to see, so Ai's going to give it to them. And that means taking advantage of every little thing on the stage – including the lights.
They're in a break between final checks when she makes her way over to him – she doesn't exactly mean to Sneak Up On Him From The Right Angle, but well, if he's so engrossed in her music, then... ]
Aah, so B-Sign is your favourite? I wouldn't have guessed!
[Even considering how often he now works with idols and idol groups, Sylvain is sometimes not the guy most people expect to listen to that genre on his own time. Unless they're expecting him to be into the Cute Girls aspect of it, due to his reputation as a playboy. He seems pretty into it now, though, his leg tapping in time with the upbeat tempo, his shoulders moving a little as he works.]
[He is thankfully done with a delicate part of the task and about to set down a tool when Ai speaks, using her strong lungs to be heard over the music. He yelps, so manly, and snaps his head up so fast his headphones go askew.]
Ah, Ai-san.
[He smiles sheepishly as he stops the music and takes off the jumbled headset, nervously fixing his assuredly mussed up hair.]
What can I say, it's a good hype song.
[She always looks dazzling in her idol costumes, but this crystalline sparkle is something else entirely. His eyes keep being drawn to the way her cut gemstone earrings reflect the light, her necklace, the little gems on her wristlets, and back to her sparkling eyes. She's intimidating, for a teeny tiny lady.]
I want to be sure I bring all the energy I need to make sure you ladies shine up there.
[ it would be a stretch to say kotone and ai had been friends, when they were kids. a group home wasn't exactly conducive to forming those kind of overtly positive connections, especially among damaged children. they got each other back then, though, in a way that kotone had found troubling more often than not. she hated the idea of being seen through, and ai hadn't been much different. and as they were around the same age, they'd tended to be grouped together for things back then, so the two of them at least spent a decent amount of time together.
kotone had always been interested in music. it was one of the only things she could confidently say she liked, at one point, really. after ai was scouted and moved out, she began focusing on it more and more, until—well, it wasn't as if she wanted to ride ai's coattails, exactly. but she had put a demo together of a few songs she'd written and composed, accompanying herself on piano and guitar, and sent it to ai just... to ask her opinion. next she knew, she was in talks with ai's agency. she wasn't being scouted, or offered any sort of contract just yet, but... well, clearly, someone had put a word in with the agency's president. room, board, and entrance in an arts high school's music program on ichipro's dime, with the only apparent catch being a first look deal on kotone's music.
she said yes. of course she said yes.
things carried on like that, for a little while, with both of them on different paths but headed in the same direction. since then—well, she doesn't know what she'd call her dynamic with ai. not quite colleagues, not quite friends. family, too, isn't right. not that kotone remembers what family feels like, anymore.
she's there when it becomes apparent that ai's pregnant, even if saitou is still in denial about the situation. she suspects whose it is—she's only met the boy in passing, and she'd honestly found him offputting, but she'd kept her mouth shut at the time given that ai clearly liked him. (then again, most boys have an uphill climb to make, when it comes to shiomi kotone.)
she doesn't ask, because she knows ai wouldn't tell her. so they leave it at that. kotone... takes some time off of school. she's ever the overachiever, involved in too many clubs to some extent or another, top scores—but it isn't exactly easy to make the constant trips to takachiho work. she's not even sure why she bothers—saitou's been there with her, and by all accounts, things are fine. but she goes anyway. the only real trouble is when kamiki—shock of shocks—and some creepy guy come poking around the hospital when ai's supposed to be due. kotone confronts them and makes enough of a fuss that security gets involved, and... well, that's the worst that happens.
now, though? now? the agency's seen fit to put her in the apartment where they've put up ai and the twins. she's... more okay with this arrangement than she expected to be. and she's less of a disaster around the house than ai, frankly. she's still going to school, but she's cut her extracurriculars down and heads home, most days. ruby's asleep, aqua's feeding, while the tv hums aimlessly. ]
... I'm not second-guessing you here or anything, and they're great, but... why were you so sure you wanted to keep 'em?
[ Children pass through group homes like ducks through water and Ai would be a liar (well, even more of a liar than usual) if she tried to say she remembered very many of them. A particular name or two might stick in her head or she might remember a funny story of some nonsense or other, but she can't actually put any people to any of it. She remembers a few of them, though – presences frictive or persistent enough that they manage to stick with her even after everything else washes out.
Kotone is one of them. She isn't someone Ai spends much time thinking about when she's busy with work but on the occasions her mind creeps back to the group home, it's Kotone's face that pops up in her mind. Maybe that's why, when Kotone gets in touch, Ai passes the demo along to Saitou along with a few other choice words and some very convincing puppy dog eyes. She tells herself it's an investment – something about feathering her nest, paying back some luck to the place she came from. But if she's frank, even Ai isn't quite sure what had spurred it on. Maybe it's guilt – knowing that she'd gotten away and that maybe Kotone hadn't.
It's strangely easy to adjust to having the girl back in her life, even though it's so different from the other girls in B-Komachi. Or maybe because it's so different – with Kotone, there's none of the quiet resentment, simmering bitterness and resignation. They aren't relying on each other for anything, really, so there's no expectations. It makes things refreshingly simple... is what Ai continues to tell herself, anyway.
It's not until the twins come around that she really feels something shift. The days following the birth had been a haze of exhaustion, discomfort edging on pain and delirious, overwhelming joy – and Kotone, hovering at her side even when Saitou wasn't. Ai decides that she'd insisted on having Kotone stay at the apartment had been because she wasn't thinking straight and any well-reasoned and well-articulated arguments about the matter had been because her brain was soup and her opinions could obviously not be trusted.
But Kotone's here now. And... having Kotone here has been nice. So maybe, god forbid, strung-out-on-painkillers-and-baby-brain-chemicals Ai had been on to something. ]
It's a little late to ask that now, isn't it? [ She says it playfully enough and without any bite – though that's par for the course when she's balancing one of the kids on her lap. For all that Saitou and Miyako had been grinding their teeth in worry about her not knowing what to do when the kids were actually here, she's at least snapped onto comfortably bottle feeding like a pro. ] But... the doctor asked me the same thing.
[ Not exactly. Not in as many words – but she'd seen it all over his face and she'd known what answer to give then as well. ]
It wasn't until we first went to the hospital, really. I hadn't had any kind of examination before then so I had no clue what was going on. But as soon as he said 'twins' and I started to think about it... everything just sort of clicked into place.
[ Aqua lets out a fussy noise of complaint and Ai scoops him up to cuddle him properly, head resting on her shoulder so she can ruffle his hair. ]
I just had this thought of... I'd never had anybody I could call family before. And now all of a sudden, I might have two. How lucky is that?
[ she's told herself that her sticking so close isn't really... about ai. that she knows what losing parents—loving parents, the kind of parent ai clearly wants to be—does to a kid. and even with all of the blowback he might face, the eyes on him now, it terrifies her to think they might not be done with the twins' father. there's an obvious nightmare scenario that she can't be sure they've avoided.
kotone knows that in the worst case, a kid's clearest memory of their mother can be their very last. what haunts them when they close their eyes. but even then, that doesn't account for even half of what she's done up to now, does it? kotone watches aqua as he settles into place, resisting the impulse to reach out to the baby as well. ]
Hey, I'm just curious! [ she huffs a quiet laugh, not exactly a mirthful one, but honest. ] And... dunno, guess I thought I'd have been overstepping, before. [ but she listens, as ai explains her motivation. it... makes a lot of sense, really. some part of kotone—a small part—wants to ask the obvious question: "what about us?"
she quashes the thought as soon as it comes. whatever ai is to her, again—family isn't right. and since when the hell did she think of herself, saitou and miyako as an us, in any sense of the word? at all? ]
Really lucky. Even if... y'know. The circumstances. [ she closes her notebook, opening her schoolbag by the couch and slipping it back inside. ]
What are you feeling like for dinner? I don't mind cooking, if we've got the stuff.
let words and deeds be the essence. let clay be the foundation for our great witch's secrets.
a simple test. a ritual written about in an old family diary; a note in the margins that promises "to grant any wish." so what if it's obviously fake? so what if magic isn't real? even if it's just to cheer yourself up, faking a spell has some magic to it anyway. wouldn't you agree?
the beknighted song becomes a wall of light. the gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown; the three-forked road through the storybook kingdom winds to the castle.
a moment of true belief. a moment of self-deceiving faith. a lie that needs to be real, and thus is the truth. the circle of painted dye, of insect hulls and glass wings crushed by human factories, begins to thrum with an unsung energy.
grow and wither away. grow and wither away. grow and wither away. grow and wither away. grow and wither away.
repeat five times, and feed the soil as you rot.
a photograph of an early concert. the first cd to share all of their autographs together. a bottle of champagne the pres was saving - sorry, sorry! a misshapen star plush, hand-sewed by a boy who could barely look at her. these are her precious memories; these are the sacrifices she has arranged. not blood, but sweat and tears a hundred times more valuable.
the glass shatters; the champagne fills the outlines of dye and corpses. and the circle begins to sing, wind and light and summer sun and winter's chill all in one.
submit to the beckoning of my unblemished wish. answer to my truth, and speak truly in kind.
i swear an oath, on the virtuous truth of my love: in this holy quest, i shall take the hero's happiness for my own. in this holy quest, i shall vanquish the villain's despair.
the force of the ritual is overwhelming - a blast of magical energy less gust and more gale. clothes, blankets, bedsheets - anything not fastened down in ai's room buckles beneath the winds, tearing away without an anchor. the wind grows colder, colder, colder still, knives of ice that almost tear at ai's cheek-
and then a warmth like summer. a caress to the cheek, like the fingers of a lover. words unbidden and unsaid, but the words of a story nonetheless: keep it up. the hardest part's almost over. after this, there'll be nothing to worry about. i promise.
from the seventh heaven, attended to by three great words of power-
the winds gather, slow for a single terrifying moment-
spring forth from the autumn throne, o child of dreams!
-and then blast forth. drywall crumbles; wood snaps. and yet, that sensation of warmth and kindness never eases once as the world around ai momentarily erupts.
and momentary it is. the winds calm, then die away; the circle's light fades into nothingness. for an agonizing few seconds, ai is left alone, with only the dust and fog of a broken apartment left for company.
and then, with the delicate flicker of a butterfly's wings- blue and red and gold and black, tracing gossamer trails through the air-
a man with warm eyes and a gentle smile stands before her. ]
...so this is the human world. [ his voice is soft but energetic, nasal but pleasant; a high baritone, or a low tenor. who can say? he looks at ai with those gentle blue eyes, smiling wide. ] Oh, right. There's an order to this sort of thing, isn't there? So instead of introducing myself, let me just ask:
[ he reaches forward, holding his hand out palm-up for her. and then he winks. ]
[ Just so we're all on the same page, Ai totally doesn't believe any of this fairy tale mumbo jumbo. By the time girls her age were getting into fortune telling, palm reading and magic charms, Ai was learning a very different sort of magic. Hers isn't any more real than fortune telling or casting love spells but everybody plays along like it is – they play along like they believe in it even more than she does.
You have to believe in a lie at least a little bit to make other people believe it – but Ai never ever forgets that she's lying.
So of course she doesn't believe in the silly little spell, even as she goes through the long, laborious process of setting it all up. She tells herself she's just getting it all in place so she has a good story to tell later. The president (sorry again about the champagne) has been nagging her to stream more lately so she has to come up with some cute anecdotes that make her sound more fun and quirky. Everyone played around with this sort of thing in middle school, right?
She doesn't believe it, of course. Nothing that convenient could ever come along to grant her wish. But if it did... then it might be nice. That tiny crack in her heart is all the foothold the ritual needs to lift itself into reality – a twisting up of believing and not believing, hope and disdain, sweat and tears and champagne running like blood. She's convinced that she must be dreaming or making this up, even as the wind rips at her face and hair, refusing to believe in her own lie even as it's made manifest.
Distantly, stupidly – her first thought is just how angry the property manager is going to be when he sees what a mess she's made of things.
Sitting there on the floor amidst all the mess, Ai looks especially small as she looks up at him. Her eyes are wide – less shock and more the alarm of an animal whose eyes have just caught a pair of oncoming headlights. Uncomprehending and yet somehow instinctively afraid.
Even so – she smiles. That's what Hoshino Ai is made to do, isn't it? ]
I... really don't know. Ahaha! [ Even to her own ears, her breathless laughter sounds close to hysterical. ] Is what what I'm supposed to call myself after pulling this off?
i rewrote this tag twice before i decided to stick with my initial principle of "no monologue"
[ he looks at her for what seems like an eternity. the pleasant smile on his lips eases, fades away; for a moment, those beautiful eyes seem- analytic? distant? something like that. less fae playfulness and more the dulled edge of cold iron.
and then he frowns, putting a hand on his hip even as he holds the other out to ai. ]
...mm, something like that? Though I won't complain if we skip the formalities. [ he leans forward, squinting down at ai, and for all the appearance of focus it still seems softer than that moment earlier. ] Hey now, this is just an educated guess, but... You really don't understand what it is you've just done, do you? Are you some kind of magecraft prodigy? Or perhaps a playwright of some renown?
( he's not sure why he settled on japan of all places when he had finally gotten custody of felicity. maybe because it was just far enough from house morais that he could finally feel clean. maybe because even if they stood out, that would just give them space.
maybe it's because it's the first language he learned other than portuguese and english. there's a thought.
with the money he absolutely stole from the family accounts, he can afford a high-end apartment. the space is good for raising a kid, and he hopes it encourages felicity to come out of her shell again. they don't have a lot of neighbors, it looks like, and he appreciates the privacy. in fact, it actually takes a week for him to meet the family across the hallway- he practically runs right into a woman with a set of twins when he's bringing in a load of groceries, specifically. (behind him is a pink-haired girl with sky-blue eyes carrying a paper bag of things from a bakery she asked to try- it was the first thing she did ask for, so how could he say no?) )
[ The apartment Strawberry Productions had helped her and the twins find is surprisingly decent – a good amount of space in a nice neighbourhood with nice neighbours who don't ask nosy questions, or argue so loud it makes the walls shake or make much noise or assert their presence at all, really.
It makes sense when she thinks about it, though. Investing in her is the same as investing in B-Komachi. If they want to keep climbing to greater heights, they need Ai. And if Ai is to keep directing this hype train where it needs to go, then...
They're on the way back from the roof when she first encounters him. They can't really spend time at parks or outside like a real family would do, but there's a nice amount of roof space they all the residents can use and Ai's gotten good at working out what times it's empty so she, Aqua and Ruby can spend time together without being stuck in the house. They're both toddling along beside her as they turn to head back into the apartment but when they realize someone's there – Ruby steps in close and Aqua grips a handful of her skirt like he's frightened she'll go somewhere if he doesn't anchor her.
Jeez. They're clingy when strangers are about. ]
Oh, no worries! It's a regular hazard when the halls are this narrow, huh?
[ She could break off the conversation there and hurry on – really, she should. The less time she spends getting to know her neighbours, the less chances of someone recognizing her. But he's already seen the twins and even if he doesn't know who she is now, he might do in the future. Making a good first impression, just in case, might be wiser than staying unmemorable. At least for now. ]
( he and felicity can't say anything considering the moment she sees other people, she ducks behind him as well, hiding her face behind the bakery bag. vic just laughs softly, nudging her gently in lieu of a headpat- )
It certainly doesn't help if it's a new environment. Fellie's a little shy.
( he won't apologize for her, or anything like that. she's perfect as far as he's concerned. if she wants to hide, she gets to hide. fellie has every single right ever. the offer does catch him off guard though- vic grins after a moment of surprise. though he's more inclined to give her more of the smaller bags if he actually remembers to do that, regardless of the fact that he's blatantly accepting the offer. he may be stupid, )
If you don't mind? This is the first major grocery haul since we moved in this week. I'm Victor Morais, and this is my little sister, Felicity. We're here for a study program!
[It was not known what the prerequisites were for admittance into the course Modern Magecraft Theory, but rumors traveled the Clock Tower like insects traveled a corpse. Some said the young Lord accepted only those with the most power and least control (a theory to which the presence of Flat Escardos lent some credence) or the more sinister rumor: that he personally chose only those who could be bent to whatever nefarious plans the so-called Scourge of Mage Society had for the Association at large.]
[The truth was a combination of the two, albeit a little gentler in intent.]
Forgive me for keeping you waiting. Can I get you a cup of tea?
[A man only a handful of years Ai's elder stepped into the (extravagantly built yet modestly furnished) office with the click of a metal-tipped cane on hardwood floor, closing the door behind him. Dressed in black and dark green with a pair of sunglasses perched on his head, Lord El-Melloi II resembled an average person far more than he did an archaic mage--and seemed even more out of place for the fact. A flicker of liquid silver caught the light briefly behind him as it slipped around a corner, thee sound of cabinets quietly opening and closing following it.]
Hoshino Ai, do I have that correct? You can just call me Professor if you don't mind--the formality of a full title is a little annoying.
[The truth behind the rumors was that the Clock Tower was a vile den of serpents. Talent went overlooked, people falling behind and through the cracks by design of a wretched society rather than mere oversight. And the Hoshino family was not an unknown to him for exactly that reason; newer in the matter of bloodline, and that much more perilous for it. Add on the fact that the woman before him (christ she's barely even older than Escardos) was already not the latest generation, and tgat compounded his interest and concern both.]
[ It would be understandable or even expected for a girl in this situation to seem uncertain or intimidated. If nothing else, Ai certainly looks out of place – not just in the Clock Tower but mage society itself, a flower that had accidentally sprouted among a thicket of strangling overgrowth. But if there's any trepidation at all, it doesn't show on her face. She sits straight and steady where she is, without the slightest inkling of caution – and she smiles, the same smile she's been wearing this whole time. It's pretty and pleasant but something about it is maybe a little desperate. ]
That's right! I was only a couple minutes ahead of you, but I haven't been waiting long.
[ She tilts her head in a way that manages to look friendly and appraising all at once. The look she's giving Waver is almost like that of a prey animal sizing up something with teeth. ]
I'll tell you right now, I'm not exactly the school type. I mean, I barely graduated middle school as it is! So I'm not really sure I'm what you're looking for here.
[Strangely, the moment the door closed behind him something seemed to physically change; a tension and rigidity that left his shoulders, and if one didn't know for a fact he was one of the twelve Lords, it would have been impossible to guess given his sudden casual air.]
That's fine; I only wanted to talk to you. [He sat down across from her, right leg crossed over his left and silver-handled cane placed leaning against the chair.] Hell, you didn't even have to agree to come here, but I recognize it's probably difficult to turn something like that down given my station. I'll apologize for that much; social obligations are kind of a given when I would rather they aren't, at times.
Allow me to be clear: academics in the strictest sense are not a requirement. I'm passably aware of your bloodline's status as well as your own, and a combination of the two is the driving reason behind why I wanted to offer you a position in my class.
[ He scoffs, leaning back. It's clear he hasn't done a single thing besides lounge around all day, yet here he is complaining about Ai being a handful. ]
Hah! You're seriously saying that? You? You idols must be a truly horrific bunch, then. Are you certain that manager of yours is sane?
[ His words are sarcastic, but his tone is genuine, such is the nature of the servant Hoshino Ai has been paired with... not that it should be of any surprise at this point. ]
Ah, that was a joke, of course. You've never caused any undue headaches, I'm sure.
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TFLN Overflow
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[ she's thought about this. christ. ]
Are you worried there won't be enough left for you, maybe? ⭐
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doing this here
i give, i give!! ai wins again
it's hard to guess something boring...... what an unfair game (இ﹏இ`｡)
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[ A pause to really let the gravity sink in. ]
A Hawaiian shirt over a cheap t-shirt and cargo shorts. Oh and with sunglasses, indoors. It was like he was trying so hard to look quirky it had the opposite effect.
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→ breakpoint
[ . . .
There's another long pause before her response comes through but this time it's because she's fully had her feet whipped out from under her by the sheer earnestness of the response and uh, also the accuracy? Seriously, that's almost a little eerie. Seeing it all laid out in plain text like that makes her feel a little silly for being so wound up about it but...
It's nice, too. She doesn't think either of them would ever come out and say "tastes like shit, mom" even if it was warranted but having her efforts recognized and appreciated isn't bad at all. ]
Hmm when you come out and say something like that, it's almost enough to make me forget you were just about to eat rotten veggies.
[ 'just about to'. sure. that's what she's going to tell herself for her mental health. ]
It's nice to know someone appreciates how hard I'm working, though. Even if it's not exactly appealing these days for an idol to be so bad at cooking. If I ever had to guest star on one of those food variety shows, I'd be the one getting cooked!
[ ... which is really just an avoidant, roundabout way of saying; ]
Thanks. I'll work hard until I can make you both something really tasty, okay?
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When a girl's too perfect, it can be pretty intimidating. Gap's popular enough these days, and most guys find it cute when they know someone's working so earnestly hard for them. You could even document the whole adventure.
[ Key word: 'when they know'… and maybe one day Ai can find solace in that 100% of Aqua's questionable behaviour and choice of wording isn't her fault, but today isn't the day.
In reality, he's having one of those 'Am I a fake fan for wanting to keep some of these aspects to myself??' moments. Yet, the headlines write themselves from 'Exclusive: Ai's Fatal Weakness!' to 'The Perfect Idol Has Her Struggles Too'. Except not being able to cook is a bullshit struggle compared to the ones that couldn't be spun as Just Gap— that isn't a conversation they'll likely ever have. . . ]
But sure. Looking forward to it. I'll think hard of something to give you in exchange.
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Stage Manager/tech guy Sylvain
[This is not what his family had predicted for him when he got his degree in mathematics and electrical engineering. However, not even his strict old-fashioned father could argue with the results. Sylvain Gautier is now one of the most sought after stage managers and designers in the industry. Usually, doing tech means being invisible, but Sylvain's work is anything but. He is legendary for custom lighting effects and sound design that enhance the performance of any musician who steps onto his stage. So of course it was only inevitable that he would work with Ai.]
[There's something about her that he likes more than the other idols he's worked with. He can't quite put his finger on it. When he asked his friend, Felix, who works security at his shows what it might be, Felix scoffed that he didn't want to hear about Sylvain's new crush. That's not it! Well, he won't deny that she's beautiful, and mesmerizing on stage, but that isn't what he means this time! At least, he thinks so.]
[A presence like Ai, and a voice like that, means he has to bring his A-game. The venue they're preparing for is huge, but the lighting system is outdated. Sylvain intends to fix that. He has brought in his own lighting board and is busy connecting it with the system already in place. He has studio headphones on, listening to Ai's music, of course, as he works. He would be easy to sneak up on from the right angle.]
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It's a little silly. But it's the show the fans want to see, so Ai's going to give it to them. And that means taking advantage of every little thing on the stage – including the lights.
They're in a break between final checks when she makes her way over to him – she doesn't exactly mean to Sneak Up On Him From The Right Angle, but well, if he's so engrossed in her music, then... ]
Aah, so B-Sign is your favourite? I wouldn't have guessed!
[ AI JUMPSCARE ]
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[Even considering how often he now works with idols and idol groups, Sylvain is sometimes not the guy most people expect to listen to that genre on his own time. Unless they're expecting him to be into the Cute Girls aspect of it, due to his reputation as a playboy. He seems pretty into it now, though, his leg tapping in time with the upbeat tempo, his shoulders moving a little as he works.]
[He is thankfully done with a delicate part of the task and about to set down a tool when Ai speaks, using her strong lungs to be heard over the music. He yelps, so manly, and snaps his head up so fast his headphones go askew.]
Ah, Ai-san.
[He smiles sheepishly as he stops the music and takes off the jumbled headset, nervously fixing his assuredly mussed up hair.]
What can I say, it's a good hype song.
[She always looks dazzling in her idol costumes, but this crystalline sparkle is something else entirely. His eyes keep being drawn to the way her cut gemstone earrings reflect the light, her necklace, the little gems on her wristlets, and back to her sparkling eyes. She's intimidating, for a teeny tiny lady.]
I want to be sure I bring all the energy I need to make sure you ladies shine up there.
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bullshitting a little
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kotone had always been interested in music. it was one of the only things she could confidently say she liked, at one point, really. after ai was scouted and moved out, she began focusing on it more and more, until—well, it wasn't as if she wanted to ride ai's coattails, exactly. but she had put a demo together of a few songs she'd written and composed, accompanying herself on piano and guitar, and sent it to ai just... to ask her opinion. next she knew, she was in talks with ai's agency. she wasn't being scouted, or offered any sort of contract just yet, but... well, clearly, someone had put a word in with the agency's president. room, board, and entrance in an arts high school's music program on ichipro's dime, with the only apparent catch being a first look deal on kotone's music.
she said yes. of course she said yes.
things carried on like that, for a little while, with both of them on different paths but headed in the same direction. since then—well, she doesn't know what she'd call her dynamic with ai. not quite colleagues, not quite friends. family, too, isn't right. not that kotone remembers what family feels like, anymore.
she's there when it becomes apparent that ai's pregnant, even if saitou is still in denial about the situation. she suspects whose it is—she's only met the boy in passing, and she'd honestly found him offputting, but she'd kept her mouth shut at the time given that ai clearly liked him. (then again, most boys have an uphill climb to make, when it comes to shiomi kotone.)
she doesn't ask, because she knows ai wouldn't tell her. so they leave it at that. kotone... takes some time off of school. she's ever the overachiever, involved in too many clubs to some extent or another, top scores—but it isn't exactly easy to make the constant trips to takachiho work. she's not even sure why she bothers—saitou's been there with her, and by all accounts, things are fine. but she goes anyway. the only real trouble is when kamiki—shock of shocks—and some creepy guy come poking around the hospital when ai's supposed to be due. kotone confronts them and makes enough of a fuss that security gets involved, and... well, that's the worst that happens.
now, though? now? the agency's seen fit to put her in the apartment where they've put up ai and the twins. she's... more okay with this arrangement than she expected to be. and she's less of a disaster around the house than ai, frankly. she's still going to school, but she's cut her extracurriculars down and heads home, most days. ruby's asleep, aqua's feeding, while the tv hums aimlessly. ]
... I'm not second-guessing you here or anything, and they're great, but... why were you so sure you wanted to keep 'em?
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Kotone is one of them. She isn't someone Ai spends much time thinking about when she's busy with work but on the occasions her mind creeps back to the group home, it's Kotone's face that pops up in her mind. Maybe that's why, when Kotone gets in touch, Ai passes the demo along to Saitou along with a few other choice words and some very convincing puppy dog eyes. She tells herself it's an investment – something about feathering her nest, paying back some luck to the place she came from. But if she's frank, even Ai isn't quite sure what had spurred it on. Maybe it's guilt – knowing that she'd gotten away and that maybe Kotone hadn't.
It's strangely easy to adjust to having the girl back in her life, even though it's so different from the other girls in B-Komachi. Or maybe because it's so different – with Kotone, there's none of the quiet resentment, simmering bitterness and resignation. They aren't relying on each other for anything, really, so there's no expectations. It makes things refreshingly simple... is what Ai continues to tell herself, anyway.
It's not until the twins come around that she really feels something shift. The days following the birth had been a haze of exhaustion, discomfort edging on pain and delirious, overwhelming joy – and Kotone, hovering at her side even when Saitou wasn't. Ai decides that she'd insisted on having Kotone stay at the apartment had been because she wasn't thinking straight and any well-reasoned and well-articulated arguments about the matter had been because her brain was soup and her opinions could obviously not be trusted.
But Kotone's here now. And... having Kotone here has been nice. So maybe, god forbid, strung-out-on-painkillers-and-baby-brain-chemicals Ai had been on to something. ]
It's a little late to ask that now, isn't it? [ She says it playfully enough and without any bite – though that's par for the course when she's balancing one of the kids on her lap. For all that Saitou and Miyako had been grinding their teeth in worry about her not knowing what to do when the kids were actually here, she's at least snapped onto comfortably bottle feeding like a pro. ] But... the doctor asked me the same thing.
[ Not exactly. Not in as many words – but she'd seen it all over his face and she'd known what answer to give then as well. ]
It wasn't until we first went to the hospital, really. I hadn't had any kind of examination before then so I had no clue what was going on. But as soon as he said 'twins' and I started to think about it... everything just sort of clicked into place.
[ Aqua lets out a fussy noise of complaint and Ai scoops him up to cuddle him properly, head resting on her shoulder so she can ruffle his hair. ]
I just had this thought of... I'd never had anybody I could call family before. And now all of a sudden, I might have two. How lucky is that?
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kotone knows that in the worst case, a kid's clearest memory of their mother can be their very last. what haunts them when they close their eyes. but even then, that doesn't account for even half of what she's done up to now, does it? kotone watches aqua as he settles into place, resisting the impulse to reach out to the baby as well. ]
Hey, I'm just curious! [ she huffs a quiet laugh, not exactly a mirthful one, but honest. ] And... dunno, guess I thought I'd have been overstepping, before. [ but she listens, as ai explains her motivation. it... makes a lot of sense, really. some part of kotone—a small part—wants to ask the obvious question: "what about us?"
she quashes the thought as soon as it comes. whatever ai is to her, again—family isn't right. and since when the hell did she think of herself, saitou and miyako as an us, in any sense of the word? at all? ]
Really lucky. Even if... y'know. The circumstances. [ she closes her notebook, opening her schoolbag by the couch and slipping it back inside. ]
What are you feeling like for dinner? I don't mind cooking, if we've got the stuff.
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tagging back two months later to basically just end the thread. idk either
just pretend i'm using fancy icons and i'm not at work to make them. anyway
let clay be the foundation for our great witch's secrets.
a simple test. a ritual written about in an old family diary; a note in the margins that promises "to grant any wish." so what if it's obviously fake? so what if magic isn't real? even if it's just to cheer yourself up, faking a spell has some magic to it anyway. wouldn't you agree?
the gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown; the three-forked road through the storybook kingdom winds to the castle.
a moment of true belief. a moment of self-deceiving faith. a lie that needs to be real, and thus is the truth. the circle of painted dye, of insect hulls and glass wings crushed by human factories, begins to thrum with an unsung energy.
grow and wither away.
grow and wither away.
grow and wither away.
grow and wither away.
repeat five times, and feed the soil as you rot.
a photograph of an early concert. the first cd to share all of their autographs together. a bottle of champagne the pres was saving - sorry, sorry! a misshapen star plush, hand-sewed by a boy who could barely look at her. these are her precious memories; these are the sacrifices she has arranged. not blood, but sweat and tears a hundred times more valuable.
the glass shatters; the champagne fills the outlines of dye and corpses. and the circle begins to sing, wind and light and summer sun and winter's chill all in one.
answer to my truth, and speak truly in kind.
i swear an oath, on the virtuous truth of my love:
in this holy quest, i shall take the hero's happiness for my own.
in this holy quest, i shall vanquish the villain's despair.
the force of the ritual is overwhelming - a blast of magical energy less gust and more gale. clothes, blankets, bedsheets - anything not fastened down in ai's room buckles beneath the winds, tearing away without an anchor. the wind grows colder, colder, colder still, knives of ice that almost tear at ai's cheek-
and then a warmth like summer. a caress to the cheek, like the fingers of a lover. words unbidden and unsaid, but the words of a story nonetheless: keep it up. the hardest part's almost over. after this, there'll be nothing to worry about. i promise.
the winds gather, slow for a single terrifying moment-
-and then blast forth. drywall crumbles; wood snaps. and yet, that sensation of warmth and kindness never eases once as the world around ai momentarily erupts.
and momentary it is. the winds calm, then die away; the circle's light fades into nothingness. for an agonizing few seconds, ai is left alone, with only the dust and fog of a broken apartment left for company.
and then, with the delicate flicker of a butterfly's wings-
blue and red and gold and black, tracing gossamer trails through the air-
a man with warm eyes and a gentle smile stands before her. ]
...so this is the human world. [ his voice is soft but energetic, nasal but pleasant; a high baritone, or a low tenor. who can say? he looks at ai with those gentle blue eyes, smiling wide. ] Oh, right. There's an order to this sort of thing, isn't there? So instead of introducing myself, let me just ask:
[ he reaches forward, holding his hand out palm-up for her. and then he winks. ]
Are you my Master?
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You have to believe in a lie at least a little bit to make other people believe it – but Ai never ever forgets that she's lying.
So of course she doesn't believe in the silly little spell, even as she goes through the long, laborious process of setting it all up. She tells herself she's just getting it all in place so she has a good story to tell later. The president (sorry again about the champagne) has been nagging her to stream more lately so she has to come up with some cute anecdotes that make her sound more fun and quirky. Everyone played around with this sort of thing in middle school, right?
She doesn't believe it, of course. Nothing that convenient could ever come along to grant her wish. But if it did... then it might be nice. That tiny crack in her heart is all the foothold the ritual needs to lift itself into reality – a twisting up of believing and not believing, hope and disdain, sweat and tears and champagne running like blood. She's convinced that she must be dreaming or making this up, even as the wind rips at her face and hair, refusing to believe in her own lie even as it's made manifest.
Distantly, stupidly – her first thought is just how angry the property manager is going to be when he sees what a mess she's made of things.
Sitting there on the floor amidst all the mess, Ai looks especially small as she looks up at him. Her eyes are wide – less shock and more the alarm of an animal whose eyes have just caught a pair of oncoming headlights. Uncomprehending and yet somehow instinctively afraid.
Even so – she smiles. That's what Hoshino Ai is made to do, isn't it? ]
I... really don't know. Ahaha! [ Even to her own ears, her breathless laughter sounds close to hysterical. ] Is what what I'm supposed to call myself after pulling this off?
i rewrote this tag twice before i decided to stick with my initial principle of "no monologue"
and then he frowns, putting a hand on his hip even as he holds the other out to ai. ]
...mm, something like that? Though I won't complain if we skip the formalities. [ he leans forward, squinting down at ai, and for all the appearance of focus it still seems softer than that moment earlier. ] Hey now, this is just an educated guess, but... You really don't understand what it is you've just done, do you? Are you some kind of magecraft prodigy? Or perhaps a playwright of some renown?
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maybe it's because it's the first language he learned other than portuguese and english. there's a thought.
with the money he absolutely stole from the family accounts, he can afford a high-end apartment. the space is good for raising a kid, and he hopes it encourages felicity to come out of her shell again. they don't have a lot of neighbors, it looks like, and he appreciates the privacy. in fact, it actually takes a week for him to meet the family across the hallway- he practically runs right into a woman with a set of twins when he's bringing in a load of groceries, specifically. (behind him is a pink-haired girl with sky-blue eyes carrying a paper bag of things from a bakery she asked to try- it was the first thing she did ask for, so how could he say no?) )
Ah- sorry, sorry. I didn't see you there-
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It makes sense when she thinks about it, though. Investing in her is the same as investing in B-Komachi. If they want to keep climbing to greater heights, they need Ai. And if Ai is to keep directing this hype train where it needs to go, then...
They're on the way back from the roof when she first encounters him. They can't really spend time at parks or outside like a real family would do, but there's a nice amount of roof space they all the residents can use and Ai's gotten good at working out what times it's empty so she, Aqua and Ruby can spend time together without being stuck in the house. They're both toddling along beside her as they turn to head back into the apartment but when they realize someone's there – Ruby steps in close and Aqua grips a handful of her skirt like he's frightened she'll go somewhere if he doesn't anchor her.
Jeez. They're clingy when strangers are about. ]
Oh, no worries! It's a regular hazard when the halls are this narrow, huh?
[ She could break off the conversation there and hurry on – really, she should. The less time she spends getting to know her neighbours, the less chances of someone recognizing her. But he's already seen the twins and even if he doesn't know who she is now, he might do in the future. Making a good first impression, just in case, might be wiser than staying unmemorable. At least for now. ]
Do you need an extra pair of hands?
sorry, i died and i will die again-
It certainly doesn't help if it's a new environment. Fellie's a little shy.
( he won't apologize for her, or anything like that. she's perfect as far as he's concerned. if she wants to hide, she gets to hide. fellie has every single right ever. the offer does catch him off guard though- vic grins after a moment of surprise. though he's more inclined to give her more of the smaller bags if he actually remembers to do that, regardless of the fact that he's blatantly accepting the offer. he may be stupid, )
If you don't mind? This is the first major grocery haul since we moved in this week. I'm Victor Morais, and this is my little sister, Felicity. We're here for a study program!
i will cromch up any and all zombie tags
reaches...
Re: reaches...
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[The truth was a combination of the two, albeit a little gentler in intent.]
Forgive me for keeping you waiting. Can I get you a cup of tea?
[A man only a handful of years Ai's elder stepped into the (extravagantly built yet modestly furnished) office with the click of a metal-tipped cane on hardwood floor, closing the door behind him. Dressed in black and dark green with a pair of sunglasses perched on his head, Lord El-Melloi II resembled an average person far more than he did an archaic mage--and seemed even more out of place for the fact. A flicker of liquid silver caught the light briefly behind him as it slipped around a corner, thee sound of cabinets quietly opening and closing following it.]
Hoshino Ai, do I have that correct? You can just call me Professor if you don't mind--the formality of a full title is a little annoying.
[The truth behind the rumors was that the Clock Tower was a vile den of serpents. Talent went overlooked, people falling behind and through the cracks by design of a wretched society rather than mere oversight. And the Hoshino family was not an unknown to him for exactly that reason; newer in the matter of bloodline, and that much more perilous for it. Add on the fact that the woman before him (christ she's barely even older than Escardos) was already not the latest generation, and tgat compounded his interest and concern both.]
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That's right! I was only a couple minutes ahead of you, but I haven't been waiting long.
[ She tilts her head in a way that manages to look friendly and appraising all at once. The look she's giving Waver is almost like that of a prey animal sizing up something with teeth. ]
I'll tell you right now, I'm not exactly the school type. I mean, I barely graduated middle school as it is! So I'm not really sure I'm what you're looking for here.
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That's fine; I only wanted to talk to you. [He sat down across from her, right leg crossed over his left and silver-handled cane placed leaning against the chair.] Hell, you didn't even have to agree to come here, but I recognize it's probably difficult to turn something like that down given my station. I'll apologize for that much; social obligations are kind of a given when I would rather they aren't, at times.
Allow me to be clear: academics in the strictest sense are not a requirement. I'm passably aware of your bloodline's status as well as your own, and a combination of the two is the driving reason behind why I wanted to offer you a position in my class.
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pretend this is a dialogue meme, maybe ill start writing prose if i get comfy IM JUST NERVOUS
fuck it we ball
[ She gives a little huff, more playing at being offended than actually taking it to heart. ]
You're mean. I'm way more low maintenance than a lot of other idols.
[ Saitou's blood pressure says otherwise but ]
fuck it we ball!
Hah! You're seriously saying that? You? You idols must be a truly horrific bunch, then. Are you certain that manager of yours is sane?
[ His words are sarcastic, but his tone is genuine, such is the nature of the servant Hoshino Ai has been paired with... not that it should be of any surprise at this point. ]
Ah, that was a joke, of course. You've never caused any undue headaches, I'm sure.
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