songerein | semi-open 💀 second trick

[Beat was still on the fence about giving gifts to the people he had befriended in the dream world. It wasn't something that he usually did back home, but with currency not being much of a problem here, he found himself entertaining the idea. The only issue was figuring out what to actually get for them.

Hoping that he would find some kind of inspiration, he had set off to the Reverein Markets, simply looking for something that would catch his eye. The district was a lot more crowded than he expected, though he didn't seem to mind all too much, far too used to the Shibuya crowds. At times he would accidentally bump against shoulders as he weaved through the crowd, quick to call back an apology before pushing through. It was then that he noticed a familiar head of red hair among the sea of people, only having caught her because of his height.]

Yo Shorty!

[Realizing that she didn't seem to have noticed him, he begins pushing past others to make his way over to her.]

[For Futaba, she's not... great... at presents, but she tries. She was trying to get some things that made her think of her friends while it was quiet... and then it wasn't. When a bunch of crowds start appearing, Futaba knows she's made a mistake.

When Beat finds her, she doesn't hear him over the crowds and luckily(?) for her she's got her headphones on to block out the noise, but it doesn't help that she's frozen from so many people at once next to her, bumping into her, all of that.

Where Futaba is standing where Beat can see her, she's suddenly not— it's way too much stimuli for her, so she's dropped down into a squat, eyes squeezed shut, and hands pressing her headphones in as if trying to drown out more noise.

This is now worse than Akiba and Shibuya without friends, maybe on par to her appearing in the Index, but at least people aren't poking and prodding and trying to ask her name!]

[The sudden disappearance of Futaba in the crowd made Beat worry. She had just been there a second ago. Moving faster than he had been, he makes his way over to where he had spotted her to find her rooted closer to the ground.]

Shorty?

[He was glad to see she hadn't passed out or anything, but he could see how tightly she was pressing her own headphones against her head, head drooping forward. Crouching down, he brings himself closer to her, squatting in front of her to take up a bit more space around them. It was not much, but the rest of the crowd found themselves having to go around the two now, some even grumbling as they passed by.

Beat didn't even bother acknowledging them, instead reaching to place a hand on Futaba's shoulder to announce his presence.]

Hey, you aight there? [He probably knew the answer to this, but he didn't know what else to say or ask at the moment.]

[Things were all right... mostly... she knew when people were bumping into her and not trying to avoid, but then... it wasn't happening as much? What? Before she could open her eyes she felt a hand on her shoulder, which gets her to let out a yell and stumble back. She wasn't expecting that!]

[...once she realizes it's Beat in front of her, she just stares at him wide-eyed and then starts to lowkey panic at the people around them, now that she's realized it was him keeping people from bumping into her.]

T.... t-t-too many p-people...

[The yell that comes out of Futaba surprises Beat, causing him to fall backward and onto his ass. He wasn't expecting that either!]

[But whatever pain he might've felt from that went unnoticed when he saw the look that she was giving him and what she had said. In an instant, he scrambles to sit back up, reaching over to take her by the wrist to help her onto her feet.]

C'mon, yo. Let's get ya outta here.

[It's a Herculean task for sure to get back on her feet, but she has someone she knows with her. Her other hand is quick to grab on to him, as if that would keep her standing and moving.]

A-a-a-allright, y-yeah...

[It's slow-going once they get on the move, but Beat is HUGE so watching people move around him is kind of funny (and will be, in retrospect!). Her grip on him stays fairly tight, head bowed to look mostly at her feet with an occasional glance up. Hopefully people start thinning out soon...]

[Using his size to their advantage, Beat tries to keep himself as wide as he can to keep people from bumping into them, even shifting as he needed to keep others from closing in. Whenever he feels Futaba's grip tighten, he turns to look at her to offer her a reassuring smile that he was there with her, but it wasn't often that he caught her gaze. Just how badly was this affecting her?

They eventually make it through the thick of it with the crowd dispersing into smaller clusters to window shop along the streets. Beat leads Futaba towards a bench, urging her to sit now that they were somewhere a little less claustrophobic. He sits beside her, still keeping close until she calms down.]

Kinda wish there was vendos 'round here like back home. 'Coulda gotten a hot cuppa coffee or hot choco now that we out here.

[Beat's not sure why he said that, but maybe that would help her get her mind off what had just happened and help lighten the mood. He might not have been a fan of either drink but maybe Futaba liked that sort of thing.]

[Once there's less people and she's sat down, Futaba can feel herself calming... realizing her tight grip on Beat still. She goes pretty red at that, nodding at his words when he mentions the vending machines back home.

She really could go for some hot cocoa actually, maybe she'll stop by Dreambucks later.]

Hah... haha... y-yeah.

[It takes her a moment, but:]

Th-thanks... that was uh... p-pretty bad, huh?

[Beat on the other hand, didn't seem to notice or be bothered that Futaba still held tightly onto him. He seems glad that she's a bit more responsive than when he had found her earlier.]

Yeah, sure looked like it. Didn't think things could get that busy 'round here. [He adjusts himself so he could lean forward to check Futaba, just enough so there's eye contact as she keeps her gaze downward. A small smile plays on his lips hoping he could reassure her somehow.] You feelin' any better?

[Somewhere close by, a white gumdrop peeks from behind the branches of a nearby tree, almost invisible against the snowy village rooftops.]

I-I didn't either, it's only been like that... [...uhh] m-maybe once? I mean I-I've been to Akiba a-and Shibuya on my own but...

[SHE KNEW HOW TO AVOID BUSY AREAS SHE WAS FAMILIAR WITH, this was not that, god this is embarrassing.

When Beat leans forward, she glances at him and nods slightly.]

Yeah... just startled. S-sorry you had to see that. A_and sorry I sorta... screamed at you, y-you scared me.

[Her scream had surprised him too, but considering how embarrassed she seemed to be about the whole thing, he figured that was best not to bring too much attention to it.]

Nah, don't sweat it, yo.

[He shakes his head in an attempt to laugh it off. But his gaze moves over to look at the headphones that Futaba had on, recalling how she had looked when he found her in the crowd. His own hung loosely around his neck.]

You had those jammed on real tight. Shoulda figured you couldn't hear me through 'em.

Oh... y-yeah, makes it easier to not hear everything when I-I'm really overwhelmed.

[Since it's just Beat (for the most part), she slides them down around her neck where they usually rest when she's in her treehouse.]

I'm getting better about it now, but I used to be a hikikomori, so... so many people like that is... [Exhausting. Scary. Overwhelming.] Even if I'm getting used to it, s-sometimes it's still hard, you know?

[But she finally manages a little smile at him; she really is grateful for him pulling her out of that.]

Thanks, Bones. [...is this a nickname? Yeah maybe!!!! He's got crossbones on his hoodie so... you know... it fits!!!!]

[A laugh escapes him from hearing that nickname. While used to having a handful of those from friends and foes alike back home, he realizes that it's the first time anyone's called him something besides his chosen name since he arrived. ~~Not counting the time Susato called him by his given name.~~]

Guess it was 'bout time someone gave me a nickname, huh? It ain't no biggie, Shorty.

[With how he was, it wasn't easy to understand what she must've been feeling in the crowd. But even if he couldn't speak for himself, he's at least seen something similar in the likes of Neku back home.]

I got a friend who used to be like that too. Always had his phones on so it was hard to tell if he was really listenin'.

[Then after a moment, his curiosity gets the better of him.]

What tunes you got playin' on them?

Edited (BELATED TYPO FIX AGAIN I'm sorry 🙃) 2022-12-18 08:47 (UTC)

[Ahh.. nickname: success! She's quite proud, actually.]

Oh, uh... it's just off my phone and whatever was already on my laptop before here, but you can listen if you want.

[The gumdrop that had been lurking 'fufufu's and sneaks closer. Yessss....give in to the fuwafuwa!

Futaba's already pulling her headphones off her shoulders without really waiting for an answer, but Beat also has headphones, so he's a music connoisseur like she is here.]

I know the Featherman theme is on here though, but lots of citypop. It's really chill and was good at keeping me calm during... some difficult times.

[Right, he wasn't here for her Dream-Palace, but knowing he's not put off by the fact that she was a hikikomori is nice.]

[He’s quick to remove his own headphones when Futaba offers hers to him.]

Can’t say you’s a real fan if you don’t got it in there, huh?

[A bit of a laugh. He’s glad that she seems to feeling better. If he can provide a distraction from what she had just experienced in the crowd, he’s more than willing to do just that.]

Ain’t ever listened to much citypop. Le’s hear it.

[Beat slides her own headphones over his ears, listening to the music that emanates from it and he understands why this type of music could be calming, especially in a bustling atmosphere. While vastly different from what he usually listened to, he could appreciate this kind of music.]

This ain’t half bad, yo. Maybe you an’ me can exchange songs one a’ these days. Wanna give mine a shot? [This time, it’s him who offers his own headphones to her, adjusting the headband so it wouldn’t fit loosely on her head.] I got a lotta hiphop and punk rock on there. They kinda heavy on the drums.

Heh, exactly. I probably have all of the themes in there somewhere, the true otaku experience with me.

[She watches him as he listens to her music, unsure if he'll like it, but once he says it's not half bad, Futaba's beaming pretty brightly.]

R-really? I can give you some of the songs, yeah! Since... y'know, we have power and all, heh. It'll make it easier to transfer from computer to phone.

[Ah, but he's offering his own. Yes, she's down with that and she'll take his headphones with a nod, putting them on and giving a listen.]

Woah... it's real different from stuff I listen to. Sojiro likes jazz too, so I have some stuff I like out of that, but punk and hiphop is...

[Well, different! In a good way. Since she's still listening pretty intently, feet swaing some to the beat (no pun intended), it's pretty likely she likes it.]

It's waaaay different than what I like, but it's fun! I definitely want some of your tunes too, Bones!

[He's well aware that his choice in music was not for everyone, so it was hard to stop the grin that spreads across his face upon hearing that Futaba was enjoying it. He even catches her swaying, reassuring him that she wasn't just saying that.]

Sounds like you an' me gotta exchange some tunes. How's 'bout I swing by when you's free?

[It's only then when he slides off her own headphones off, appreciating her music up to that point.

The interaction between the two of them was enough to make the lights that hung closeby shine brighter, the small patches of snow melting in the surrounding area. This was more than enough for the white gumdrop to be sated, licking its lips as if having completed a delicious meal. Fuwafuwa~!
The noise is enough to make Beat look upwards at it.]

Yo... You seein' that?

Yeah! That'd be fun, I think!

[NEW MUSIC.... and getting comfy with someone not the Phantom Thieves... best kinda Christmas ever here! When Beat looks up, Futaba does too— that's when she hears something and sees some of the snow melting, along with the fuwafuwa.]

Woah, they're back?! I saw 'em last year, but I never encountered them... man, too bad there's no bestiary here, I'd finally register it!

Ain't never seen 'em before.

[Not that Beat has ever seen a lot of things that he's encountered since he's arrived in Songerein. Though he would usually have his guard up, the creature didn't seem like dangerous. In fact, the gumdrop continues to fly circles around them, chanting away: Coo cute, fuwafuwa.]

Did it jus' say cute? Who they callin' cute, yo? [He even looks around to see if it was referring to someone or something else. All he finds is a stray forest creature getting ready to take a dump by a bush. Definitely not that—] Don't see nothing else 'round.

I think they leave after Christmas, or whatever counts as the fried chicken holiday here. I thought there were more of 'em, but we just got this one?

[...she noticed the 'cute' thing too, what. What's cute?? Yeah that stray... thing... sure ain't it, so???

But then, out of the corner of her eye she spots it: ~~shia lebeouf~~another gumdrop beelining toward them. Oh, there were more, but— OH NO.

By the time she realizes this one is going to not only trap them, but they'll have to do its bidding to get untrapped— and she can't remember if it's the fight one or not— it has given the Fuwafuwa Gumdrop a high-five, as if tag-teaming in, and...

...Futaba's not sure she likes where this is going with its Fu fu fu~ as it circles overhead.]

Uhh... I don't think we're gonna move until we do what it wants...

[With Beat looking away, he misses the look on Futaba's face as the second gumdrop approaches. He does see the two high-five, but only grows more confused by their presence and what Futaba says.]

What it wants? What's that supposed to mean—

[And as if on cue, the pink gumdrop lets out a mischievous laugh and lets out a cry to answer Beat's question. Smooch!, it says as it makes a kissy face, complete with matching sound effects.]

Smooch?

Futaba

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i have been WAITING to use this icon

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perfect usage for sure, also 1/2

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1/2

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1/? yeaaaah—

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