songerein | [CLOSED]

Entry tags:

[CLOSED]

Who: Marui and Leia
Which: Closed log
What: Dreamotion ability training followed by comfort and cuteness.
When: Afternoon and evening of Nov. 2nd
Where: Marui's treehouse
Warnings: None expected, will edit if needed

[ Marui's dreamotion abilities are not progressing well.

He isn't used to struggling with a new skill. He picks up on most things rather quickly. This, however, is quite simply a mystery. Maybe because it's so abstract? He's been able to do tennis and cakes with it like a true genius, but everything else has been a flop. The hot spring pool he made near his treehouse for bathing is uncomfortably small and shallow, and it occasionally mistakes itself for a geyser. His attempt to kill one of those giant termites with a bolt of lightning instead turned it into a particularly luminescent firefly. (On the upside, it's decided it lives with him and provides after-hours lighting around his house.) Bubble gum he'd thought for sure he could replicate as his supply dwindled to dangerously low levels, but the end result was too sticky to chew and popped while still in his mouth and that was great and interesting, perfect prank material, but not what he needed for everyday use.

He refuses to give up, though, especially in the aftermath of all that happened at that graveyard. He's determined to at least learn how to use it to protect himself and the people he cares for. And so now that he's given himself a one-day break to recover both physically and mentally from that ordeal, he's getting to work on that. Starting in the late morning outside his treehouse, he performs some warm-up stretches, rolls up his sleeves, and then... Well. This is about the part where he usually gets stuck. What should he try to do? In the end, what he most knows how to attack and defend with is still a tennis racket.

Well, no sense fixing what isn't broken. Time to invent some moves.

By the time lunch rolls around, Marui has worked up a decent appetite, and there is one thing and one thing alone that can satisfy him: cake. (Actually, some company would be nice too after spending all morning by himself, but hunger first.) Happily, cake conjuring is a dreamotion ability he's got down pat! He's even figured out how to conjure a platter for it to sit on now instead of the unfortunate (but admittedly hilarious) result of it splatting to the ground.

He takes a minute to imagine its shape, size, flavor, decorations, colors. It's easy with cake because he's seen, tasted, and baked so many. What would be really great right now is... yes. Perfect!

It's so real to him already-- the apple slices decorating the top; the warm and nutty aromas of maple, cinnamon, and pecan; how light and juicy it is inside with steaming apple pie filling between fluffy layers of spice cake! He's excited just thinking about it!

It feels like warm tingling at his fingertips. The cake realizes itself layer by layer, stacking higher and higher before disappearing inside a warm off-white encasement of frosting. Red-skinned apple slices radiate from the center on top in symmetry. Candied pecans line the base and accent the apple slices on top. An orange maple leaf pattern wraps around the side. ]

Yahoi! [ He cheers when it's done, and eagerly carves out a slice. ]

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[ A chocolate cake? After the way she rejected that concept off the bat? Marui is dubious. Sure, it looks normal, but should a cake really be giving off that much heat?

Oh. Ice cream. She wasn't done? Okay. That sure is a choice, putting it on top like that. Normally ice cream with cake is a no-brainer, but it's gonna be soup real fast sitting on top of such a warm cake. Hope Leia's a fast eater. Marui doesn't want to think about what cool liquid seeping into that cake is gonna do to it. Poor cake.

He chews on another bite of his own cake, having made some decent headway on the process of devouring it in its entirety. ]

Heh, so you did! Well done. Try and taste it.

[Marui has every right to be dubious... That's quite a bit of steam. And if he only knew what was inside, well.]

You want me to go first? Aren't you a so-called cake genius? Wouldn't it make more sense if you tried it before me?

[It's not the prettiest cake. It really does just look like a mound of chocolate cake- shaped like a volcano. Not that creative. But she's surprised she got even an ounce of praise from him and wasn't teased instead.

Hmph. He's probably thinking it, though.]

[ Yes. Yes he does want Leia to go first. Her answer to his baking skills question was not the least reassuring. ]

Mmmh... [ He sounds with uncertainty. ] I don't know. It's your cake. Shouldn't you be the one to try it first?

Is that usually how it goes? You're the teacher, so wouldn't you check how your student handled their assignment?

[It's not that she thinks the cake isn't going to taste awesome, but...

Okay, yeah, it's been known to happen. Sometimes! ~~A lot.~~ But it's not much of a surprise for what's inside if she cuts into it and goes first.]

Nope. [ Marui smiles kindly and finishes off another slice of his apple spice cake. ]

The best way to learn is to taste your own mistakes. [ He winks. ] Enjoy...

[Aaaaand there it is. Welcome back, Marui. So glad you could make it. She glares at him, flatly. By all accounts this cake looks perfectly normal, if not lacking a bit in the creativity department. But behind the bland appearance lies a very delicious interior! ~~Hopefully!~~ In fact, those gummy worms? Totally added not only because they're a classic snack, but because she ended up ruining most of his in the water.]

Mistakes? Wow. Thanks for the overwhelming support, you big jerk. Maybe I'll make it so my next cake drops right on your head--

[Then the cake starts...

Rumbling.

Whether it's a reaction to the volatile (?) contents within (those pop rocks candies may have been made with a bit more... pop than normal), or her emotions are causing some instability to occur (the annoyance directed at him, and her own unvoiced feelings she keeps denying), or a combination of both, is uncertain. But whatever it is happens so fast that there's hardly any time to react.

Within seconds, that steam coming out of the top of the cake grows thicker before the entire cake just explodes. Cake splatters everywhere. Everywhere. Potentially ruining Marui's cake and splattering chocolate on both of them.]

[ Marui of course hadn't meant anything personal about it. Mistakes were a fact of life, even for a genius like him. Nobody got everything perfect. And it's simply the truth that the only way to get better was to know what your mistakes were so you could learn from them. It's part of why he has zero compunction about ruthlessly exploiting the openings he sees in his tennis opponents. Having all of your weaknesses exposed was the fastest path to improvement. You were only stagnating the other person's growth by hiding their blind spots from them.

When the cake starts making noise, though, that's a little disconcerting? Cakes aren't supposed to rumble. What is that--

KERPLOO!!

Marui leans back where he's sitting, shielding his face and body as best he can with his arms but for all the good it does he needn't have bothered. Suddenly chocolate is everywhere. On his face. In his hair. Staining his clothes. Slathering his lunch.

That was the worst part. His poor cake.

...Is that a gummy worm he sees protruding from that gob of chocolate?

Blinking and just as awestruck as he is dumbfounded, he turns his eyes to the far end of the table where Leia's cake used to be.

He truly has no words. ]

[Stunned silence fills the air, chocolate cake covering everything in sight, slowly oozing down the table, nearby trees, the both of them, just to name a few places. Marui's cake is completely ruined, gobs of chocolate covering it. There's also gummy worms strewn all over- with one being in her hair. Probably some on Marui too, but to be honest Leia is just staring blankly at the remnants of this cake disaster.

Normally... she'd laugh this off, maybe apologize profusely and offer to do whatever she can to fix what was ruined. Mostly, it'd be something she'd ultimately not dwell on too deeply. Actually, all things considered, it's kind of hilarious.

Except she's not laughing. For some reason. Instead, all that hurt she's been running from since yesterday manages to catch up with her. Not that it was ever far behind but... The one thing that stands out here, the very thing her mind latches onto, is that she did this. She caused this, good intentions or not. She tried at something, got a little too eager and energetic, and it failed. Miserably. Under better circumstances, she could pick herself back up and try again, and keep trying till she gets it. However, it's the fact that she ruined something that belonged to someone that also distresses her.

And then she's suddenly reminded of something Alvin once told her, out of anger. About how her skills, that she learned back in the Story Realm, were useless. Why her mind went back to that after she's already forgiven him, she can't explain, but seeing her skills fail here too? It hurts. Is Marui going to be just as pissed? Furthermore, is that... why Alvin left her here? Is it because she has a knack for ruining things, either out of clumsiness or overconfidence? Maybe he just got tired of her. What if, after all the work she's put into herself, she's still holding people back?

This really is uncharacteristic of her, but she's more emotionally charged than usual. She's still hurting, even though she's been doing her best to persevere.

Marui seemed really pleased with his cake, and it was an actual work of art- and it tasted that way too. And now it's covered in her failure of a cake, and so is he. There's no way he won't be pissed. And she can't even blame him.

She's just quietly standing there as everything hits her, lowering her gaze to the ground and looking visibly distressed, her hands balling in fists like she's trying to fight back these feelings. She should be asking if he's okay, and laughing this off. Instead she's just so very conflicted.]

[ Life with two considerably younger brothers has acclimated Marui beyond repair to the inevitability of chaos. Surprises, disasters, tears, skirmishes. Injuries, accidents, nightmares that lead to surprise pounces in the middle of the night. Spilled food, broken toys, invaded free time. For Marui, it's all simply normal. He figured out a long time ago not to get too bothered by anything that didn't truly matter.

Thinking of it that way makes it pretty easy to let go of life's disappointments and aggravations. Lost lunches and damaged belongings and stolen time, those aren't the things that matter.

It's a similar experience here as Marui processes the epic catastrophe that he's just witnessed, his eyes still fixated on the remains of the cake base. Like his brothers, Leia is just another agent of chaos to be cherished and enjoyed, a force that keeps his world from getting dull. Frankly, his treehouse has been far too quiet and lonely without his brothers there with him. He misses their constant tearing around yelling for him and causing trouble. It's strangely comforting in a way to have Leia reintroducing that element of surprise.

The absurdity of the situation finally catches up to him-- the gummy worm in her hair, the bits of chocolate cake spattered on literally every surrounding surface, the deafening silence Leia has fallen into right on the heels of threatening to create the cake over his head (as if it would yield a different outcome)-- and he snorts a giggle. Yeah, refusing to get any closer to that thing for a taste was definitely the right call. What an amazing mess! ]

Well, that may be more of a taste than you bargained for. Are y-- hey. Are you okay?

[ The easygoing humor in his tone falls away in an instant. He stands up and steps over, picking the gummy worm from her hair and tossing it carelessly aside. ]

What's wrong? Surely you're not this upset about a cake...

[She looks up at him with sorrowful eyes- very noticeably damp, sorrowful eyes, already threatening to spill over. Almost like she didn't quite hear him, and it takes a moment for her to register that he's close and can probably see that she's upset. Then she quickly looks away.]

I, I really made a mess of things, huh? [she tries to play it off like it doesn't bother her, tries to laugh, but it never quite escapes her lips.] I'm so sorry about your cake...

[She's not sure if she can, or wants to, fully acknowledge what's wrong. That it's not just the cake. Admitting what's going through her mind, out loud, seems daunting at the moment. Burdening Marui isn't really something she wants to do, either. Her eyes well up. And, in an effort to hide the fact that it looks like she's about to cry, she quickly wipes her arm across her eyes...

Not realizing there was chocolate all over her sleeve, so she just ends up smearing chocolate across her cheeks. And she looks up at him, slightly bewildered, her brain taking a hot minute to process she just wiped chocolate onto her face.]

[ Why is she getting so worked up? It's really concerning just how close to tears she looks! It was just cake.

Well. Whatever the cause, the last thing she needs is to have anyone fuss at her. If she were in higher spirits, Marui might allow some superficial grousing or mockery for her blunder, but he's not interested in being the reason those tears spill over.

He starts to get his handkerchief out for them, wondering if maybe she needs to talk-- but then she goes and wipes her eyes with her sleeve, leaving something far more visible than tears on her face instead.

This, too, would be adorable and hilarious and great teasing fodder in a less sensitive moment. As it is, Marui can't help enjoying it a little despite how upset Leia seems. But the atmosphere mutes his reaction to a wry, fond grin and a small sound of amusement.

Then, as if it's nothing at all, the handkerchief is forgotten, and instead it's a warm, calloused hand that reaches up and gently thumbs away the bulk of the chocolate from her cheek. Just an affectionate gesture between two friends; he can't explain it beyond that. It felt right, so he did it. ]

Come on. Let's go clean up.

[ Talk can come later. ]

Edited 2021-11-05 21:53 (UTC)

[The look she catches on his face tells her that she... just got chocolate there, didn't she? Yep. She's a total disaster. And she's now hyperaware that he knows she's upset, all because she couldn't just keep things at bay until later. The look on his face doesn't look like he wants to laugh at her, though. It's so... tender? Caring? Does he pity her, or something? She's legitimately having trouble wrapping her head around that look, but it makes her chest feel odd, and her stomach sort of flutters. Clearly, it must be the rush of emotions from the past day.

However.

She almost wishes he had simply laughed at her... over what he does instead. Which she barely registers at first, because before she can react, and even laugh at herself, his thumb is on her cheek and wiping off chocolate sauce. Immediately she stiffens and her face burns, she can feel it turn red, right up to her ears. And, great spirits, this is suddenly an awkward feeling, and she quickly turns away from him, hastily wiping at her face, her heart rate seemingly picking up for no reason she can discern.]

I- I'm fine! I just got chocolate in my eyes or something! Just gimme a sec!

[And she comes up with the lamest excuse ever. She inwardly curses herself for how stupid that sounds. Wow, Leia, great job! Now you look like a total weirdo. Spirits, that was so uncool.]

[ Marui blinks and stares at what seems like rather an extreme reaction to a little wipe of the face. Did he overstep? He... admittedly hadn't expected it to be such a big deal. Suddenly this is weird. ]

Um...

If you're fine then... could you turn back around?

[ This would be a lot easier if he could see her face. ]

[Yeah, it is weird, and she really can't explain her reaction. She's just... in a weird mood. She's bottling up a lot. And something as simple as a touch to the cheek to wipe the chocolate from it, showing her an ounce of concern, made her feel like things could be okay. It's the comfort she needed and craved. She's emotionally vulnerable right now, so affection of any sort, of any amount, is just nice. Soothing.

That's all it is. Nothing more than that.

She takes a deep breath, her hands dropping to her sides, and she finally turns around to look at him. No longer does it look like she might cry at any second, but there's still a faint tinge of pink on her cheeks. Which is just the end result of feeling momentarily overwhelmed.]

Sorry to worry you, but I really am fine.

[ Marui is quiet for a moment as he looks over her face and processes her tone, her body language. The remnants of that blush still hanging about her face.

He believes her that she's managed to compose herself, and that when she said I'm fine, that's what she meant. He gets the sense there's something more going on there, but he's not really the type to meddle or henpeck. She wants to drop it and move on. He'll respect her wishes. ]

Then, are you gonna try again?

[If he didn't believe her, he doesn't show it. And she appreciates that. She'd been fine up until her exploding cake ruined his- just a small breaking point. By now, she's determined to keep it together.

So she responds to him with renewed vigour.]

Of course! I'm gonna keep trying until I get it right!

[Right. Time to get her head back in the game and focus. And, perhaps this time, she will listen to his suggestions.]

[ This is what he likes about her: spirit, determination, resilience. Despite her moment of vulnerability, despite her failure and the embarrassment it's brought her, she's ready and willing to pick herself up and keep trying. ]

Heh. Glad to hear.

[ He turns to the table and peers over the remains of her cake again. Maybe it's morbid curiosity, maybe it's a foolish degree of gutsiness, but now that it's fucking exploded, Marui just doesn't think there's much more that it can do to him. He picks up a small bite's worth of the cake and puts it in his mouth. ]

...Well. The chocolate isn't terrible. But is it supposed to be fizzy?

[It had just been a small hiccup. It won't happen again. Especially now that she knows he doesn't seem to care about how many times she fails and the disaster it could potentially lead to. Not that that's the reason everything came barreling into her. Truthfully, she didn't care if her cake exploded or tasted bad, it's that it ruined something of his, and it forced her to acknowledge her shortcomings as the possible reason for... some things.

But it's fine. And she will manage to keep a tighter lid on things and focus on having fun and learning dreamotion!

She's about to ask for what to try next, however, when he... goes and eats the chocolate that remained on the plate. Her eyes go wide, uncertain how good of an idea that is, all things considered. She's more shocked than anything, almost not sure what to say.]

Uhhh... that's the popping candy to give it an extra kick. [she says in disbelief, now shifting to concern.] But why would you put that in your mouth after watching it explode?

[Like... how could he be certain it wouldn't explode again?]

[ At her question, Marui looks at her and for a moment isn't sure what to say because it's so self-evident to him. ]

Because I wanted to taste it.

[ Is this a reversal from moments before? Yes. Does he care? No. He is a guy that follows his whims. And anyway, how often do you get the chance to try exploding cake? ]

[Well, okay. She's not sure what answer she expected.]

... And what if it wasn't done exploding?

[ Marui grins. ]

Relax. It's just one taste.

All right. Let's hope you don't find out.

[And yet she may be a little touched that he dared to try it. Even if he didn't mean anything by it.]

More to the point, don't you have another one to make? I'm waiting here.

Shouldn't we clean up the table first?

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