[CLOSED]

[volleygenius]

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. ]

Comments

[volleygenius]

[ Ugh, that R-word. Marui's expression withers a little just hearing it. ]

Don't say that... Fun and responsibilities are words that don't belong together.

[ragingscoopaholic]

Oh, c'mon. Not all responsibilities are like chores. I bet you enjoy practicing tennis, and you have a responsibility to make sure you stay in shape and on top of your game! ... Although, how you manage all that while inhaling the amount of cake you do, is a little unfair.

[Back home, if she ate even half of what she's seen him put away here, she wouldn't fit into anything she wears. Maybe there's more magic in this Japan place than he lets on.]

[volleygenius]

[ If Leia thinks that running several miles, lifting weights, and doing multiple reps of stomach crunches, one-armed push-ups, and squats each day is any more his idea of fun than grocery shopping, Marui has bad news for her. That camp got results but it was brutal! There wasn't a single day he didn't want to cry with relief when they were finally finished with the exercise portion of their training regimen.

He smiles through another bite of cake. ] Are you serious? Cake is the only reason I can manage it! The energy for all that working out doesn't come from thin air.

[ragingscoopaholic]

[Man, and here she is, having totally loved the more brutal aspects of her training. They made her feel good and super pumped! It's a rewarding experience! Even if a little tiring. Or a lot. And for her? That's what helped her recover. Hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. She values it and thrives in it.

But, okay, even she does like to relax, and maybe not all those types of responsibilities are fun, either. Some of them though, maybe aside from grueling training? That's what she means. Grocery shopping with a friend? That too. And yet, she'd still take training over cleaning her room any day of the week.

However, hearing Marui confirm that he does consume all those sweets and still manages to look as fit as he does, well...

She sighs.]

That settles it. I kinda hate you.

[volleygenius]

[ Marui laughs. ]

We all have our own challenges to overcome.

[ For him, cake happened to be on the solution side instead of the problem side. But that could cause problems of its own if it wasn't available at a time he needed the extra glucose. ]

[ragingscoopaholic]

[Well, she's about to give him a problem to his solution (???). She flatly glares at him, then, without warning, reaches over and spears a large piece of his cake with her fork and shoves it into her mouth.

What this proves or solves... she doesn't know. But hearing him gloat about all the cake he can safely consume and how he practically needs it to perform, sure makes her want to eat all his cake while he watches. Helplessly.

... Unfortunately, her mouth is too full of cake for the snappy comeback she had. So all he hears "Mmmbffm ffffmmmbf ssmmmbf mbbffmm."]

1/2

[volleygenius]

[ If Marui was feeling at all sleepy, it's gone now.

His eyes fly wide open and blink once as that fork stabs down onto his plate and hefts a solid piece right off it. Poof. Gone, simple as that. ]

[volleygenius]

[ Now, what he's seeing as Leia sits there and retorts indecipherable cake-jibberish at him more closely resembles a very adorable, slightly peeved chipmunk. And the temptation to push his fingers into those cute little puffed cheeks is something fierce. He won't do it, because goodness that could go so very south, but it's a highly entertaining thought.

Since he can't make sense of what she's said, he's left to either make a guess or ignore it. Marui chooses the latter, and he smiles in amusement at the face she's making. Is he the least bothered she just stole his cake? Nah. He knows she has to be hungry, and who the heck could (or should) be satisfied with only one slice on such an empty stomach? ]

If you wanted more, you only had to ask...

[ragingscoopaholic]

[Unfortunately, it takes her so long to chew the hunk of cake that the time to make any retort passes by. Instead, she swallows, and tries her best to look put off.]

I didn't. I just wanted revenge.

[Against someone who doesn't have to watch their caloric intake.]

[volleygenius]

[ Marui quirks his brows. ]

Revenge?

[ For what? ]

[ragingscoopaholic]

For being able to eat whatever you want and not have to count a single calorie.

[She says as she finishes off the last of her cake.]

[volleygenius]

[ How is it revenge to eat his cake? Girls are so weird.

He offers her what remains on his own plate with a grin that says he doesn't quite understand, but he's happy to roll with it. ]

More revenge? It's pretty sweet.

[ragingscoopaholic]

It's not revenge if you're offering it to me.

[Look, the whole point was for him to suffer while she ate his cake. It doesn't have to make sense, it just felt right at the time.

Being that she is done with hers, though, she puts her dish aside and quickly gets her arms back under the blanket.]

[volleygenius]

[ What a fussy girl. Well, she's entitled. It's been a rough time for her. Leia gets her arms tucked back into the blanket and really, Marui could drop it there and finish his slice and call it good, but instead he cuts off another bite with the fork and brings it over towards her mouth, just in case it'll work. ]

What if I'm the one feeding it to you?

1/2

[ragingscoopaholic]

Hm...? Uh...

[That is unexpected. How dense is this guy? Doesn't he realize that offering something like that could totally be taken the wrong way?? That's something that...

That...

That certain... types... of people do...

It's actually too embarrassing to think about the word she means.

And why is she even entertaining this???]

2/2

[ragingscoopaholic]

[She turns her head away to hide the blush forming on her cheeks, for what feels like the thousandth time tonight.]

I, I mean, no. You're still offering. The whole point was to attack your precious cake while you watched helplessly.

[volleygenius]

I see... Well, then! Revenge is mine instead. I'm finishing the rest of it if you're not.

[ And he moves that fork back towards his wide open mouth and makes quite a show of enjoying it.

Leia is free to stop him at any time, otherwise she will endure this teenager's insufferable dramatized pleasure from every remaining bite of his cake slice.

Honestly, he wishes she'd just take it from him and eat it-- he's worried about how little she's eaten today. But he knows he can't force her and isn't about to try. ]

[ragingscoopaholic]

[Meanwhile, Leia here is still fretting over the offer he just made. And she watches him retract his offer, placing his fork back into his mouth.

Where he proceeds to be totally obnoxious.]

Must you make so much noise?

[He won't stop, she knows this. And she hesitates because she can't get over the fact that if she uses his fork, the very one he's had his mouth all over, that it's like an indirect kiss.]

[volleygenius]

[ Marui's gaze shifts to Leia like that of a child who's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He has a mouthful of cake and has to swallow it down before he can answer. ]

What. Are you trying to sleep?

[ragingscoopaholic]

No, but you're clearly trying to provoke me into stealing your cake. Hate to burst your bubble, but it's not gonna work.

[volleygenius]

[ Marui takes a moment to stick the fork back in his mouth and pull it out between pressed lips, cleaning it of some leftover frosting. ]

If you know that's what I'm doing, then why are you admitting it's provoking you?

[ragingscoopaholic]

I said trying! It's most definitely not working, you little--

[And so, that's when she decides to launch her attack. Reaching out, she pinches the side of his waist. Hard.]

[volleygenius]

[ It most definitely is working from how worked up she i--OW??? Sharp pain at his side causes a hiss and flinch and recoil.

In the process of that involuntary response, the saucer Marui is holding does not manage to keep a level position. Off slides the last bit of cake.

Splat.

Right onto the floor.

Looking wounded (because he is??), Marui shifts his hand to his pinched side and fingers it uncomfortably. ]

Why'd you have to do that...?

[ragingscoopaholic]

That's what I should be asking you. That poor cake didn't deserve such a fate.

[Not his very sore side or anything. He deserved that. The cake... did not.]

[volleygenius]

[ No, it did not, but he doesn't really care about those last couple of bites. He doesn't care whose fault it was that it dropped either. He grimaces as he tenderly rubs at the pinched skin. ]

There's no reason to be upset about the cake. You weren't going to eat it anyway, right?

[ Marui slides out from under that blanket (brr), tucks it neatly back around Leia, and sets the saucer on the table while he gets a cleaning rag, wets it in the bowl of water by the door, and starts to clean up the mess. ]