Chasma: Allen

[aono]

Comments

[aono]

[He looks at the suit. And he is judging it slightly.]

The top half's okay, but what's up with the brown pants?

[He does agree on leaving the jacket open though.]

[lefthandpath]

It's just a style. We can find you different trousers.

[aono]

Then we can mix and match.

[He'll take the top half of the suit and go looking for black pants. The hat can come too, but he's going to try setting it on Allen's head for now. Allen can hold onto it for him!]

[lefthandpath]

[Allen Walker actually looks quite dapper in a top hat. he follows after, amused.]

Be sure to find ones that fit. They shouldn't trail on the ground or have too many creases.

[aono]

Right, right, I gotcha.

[He does find a black pair of pants eventually! He can't tell if they're the right size yet, because he has to try them on first.]

So no creases, yeah? I'll see if it all fits.

[They're both boys and nobody else is around, so Rin just sets the clothes down nearby and starts to undo his shirt. He's keeping his boxers on so he doesn't have a reason to be shy here.

...except that he forgot that Allen doesn't know about the tail yet, so. When Rin unbuttons his shirt, Allen gets to see that for the first time. Hi.]

[lefthandpath]

[... and Allen Walker very politely doesn't say anything about it. he's familiar with the feeling of being gawked at, of people staring and asking questions. being sold to be put onto a freak show does shit like make you not question these things.

instead, if anything, his expression softens a bit as he checks other clothes nearby.]

Suspenders may help if you need some give at the waistline.

[and also maybe give that tail a break from being wrapped around a torso.]

[aono]

[Allen is such a good bean, thinking of Rin like that.]

Won't they look kinda silly?

[He is considering suspenders though. Because yeah a belt makes it hard for him to wrap his tail around his waist.]

[lefthandpath]

Nonsense. They're perfectly functional. And clothes only look silly on people because they act silly in them, anyway.

As long as you're comfortable, you're confident, and you won't look silly.

[aono]

You say that like I don't act silly all the time.

[Still, he'll get a set to try with the outfit. And he actually looks kind of cool in a suit, so he's grinning by the time he's got it put on.]

Ha! I guess it's not so bad after all.

[lefthandpath]

[Allen nods, but then he comes over and makes a point to pinch together the sides of the suit, bringing the folds of the cloth back.]

Now, if this were a bespoke suit, it'd fit more tightly. Like this.

[demonstration of how that would look on him.]

That's what tailors are for. They make sure that the suit fits as it should, in the places it should after the template's been made.

[he lets the cloth go and then brushes out the wrinkles.]

As it is, it doesn't fit too badly.

[aono]

Ah?

[The second fit is a bit tighter, but it does look cooler too. Rin never rely thought about clothes before, beyond comfort and cool t-shirts with bands on them. But hey, maybe this isn't so bad after all.]

And you guys wear this kinda stuff all the time?

[He does seem pleased at the compliment though. This boy doesn't get praised often, and he soaks it up when he does get something.]

[lefthandpath]

Not all the time. But it is what's expected from proper society.

[as evidenced by Allen's hobo wear, he is not, in fact, proper society.]

[aono]

[He. Looks at Allen's clothes.]

Well you should get dressed up too then, yeah? Then we can both be sharp.

[Two fancy boys who are definitely not delinquents/hobos.]

[lefthandpath]

Shouldn't be too difficult to find something, then.

[Allen Walker looking good in most suits really.]

[aono]

[Him FANCE]

Maybe we should wear these to the next group meeting thing.

[Even if they're sharing information, they can look good doing it.]

1/2

[lefthandpath]

You think?

[you know the terrible thing about going around mirrors?

you don't notice that there's SHARDS.]

2/2

[lefthandpath]

[and some music

You're riding on a train heading eastward. To find your master, for the sake of the Exorcists of the Black Order. Lavi, the Bookman's Junior, sits next to you and you both consider the man curled up against the wall of the train... crying.

Lavi tells "Crow" that he shouldn't be so depressed, but really, he has every reason to be. His Innocence is parasitic and has attached itself to his teeth--he's a vampire, but for akuma. But the villagers of his hometown didn't see it that way at all, hurled insults and curses at him as you Exorcists take him in as one of your own.

You wish you could be more surprised, but that's the world you, also, are familiar with. A little bitter, you also somehow got the villager's ire (probably a mix of being cursed and also the earlier bite from Krory, a misunderstanding). That's just your luck.

Lavi, however, takes it all in stride with a Who Cares? kind of approach. "As long as a man can still breathe, it's all good."

You wish you had that kind of laissez-faire attitude.

You both suggest that Krory go look around the train some. It's a long ride to the Orient and it's the first time he's ever ridden a train before. Krory shyly and bashfully agrees to go stretch his legs and look around. You and Lavi note to each other how he's completely different when in battle--the man is scary, like a real vampire when it's a fight. But now he's docile and calm, albeit sad, like a soft lamb.

... three hours later, and you're a little concerned that Krory hasn't been back yet.

You and Lavi go searching for him. You even wonder if he got lost somehow (the funny thing being that you are usually the one who gets lost--but never on a train. how does one get lost on a train?!).

You open the next door, and there he is.

You've found him.

He's crying miserably again.

And sitting practically naked in front of a bunch of hooligans, one of whom sports glasses, a cigarette, messy hair, and a hand of cards flared in his hand.

Ah, right. You know this scene.

"Sorry. Right now, young kids aren't allowed to enter here."

They immediately try to start to bully Krory into another hand. You ask Krory what happened, exactly. Krory explained just how he got suckered into it, and you feel a bit of pity for him. But also, spite for these con artists. Krory's already gone through enough, but to have this happen on top of it...

It can't be helped.

They start to taunt Krory again, implying cowardice and a bad attitude.

You remove and thrust your Exoricst coat at them, smiling nicely.

"All the trimmings on this coat are made of silver. If I bet this for all of Krory's clothes, will you have a match with me?"

Lavi quickly becomes alarmed.

The hooligans think they have this in the bag.

You inwardly smile a less polite smile as they agree to the match.

Fools.

It takes only a few hands before you have three of them stripped down to their underwear. Your newest hand, a royal straight flush, means you win again. This was the expected result, and yet they yell and curse. They start to argue and bicker--you know why. They've clearly been trying to rig the game against you. How cute. But they could have never known that they were actually up against an expert of your level.

You're enjoying yourself because, really, it's nice to have an easy challenge for once.

They throw down the next challenge. You easily accept.

Lavi leans over and whispers in your ear, asking what's going and and why you're so unbelievably good at this--"I thought you were an unlucky boy..." You whisper back that you're cheating, of course. Lavi seems surprised that this is your true character. You laugh to yourself and explained that they brought it on themselves for treating Krory that way.

You go on to explain that you learned these skills in order to earn more money to pay back your master's debts and earn money for food.

"When gambling, I'll win no matter how many times I play... I won't go easy on them! They're coming at me 3 to 1, too, so it's even!"

Perhaps Lavi can't yet appreciate the level you're at, but it's fine.

You win the next hand.

The hooligans cry out in confusion.

You delightfully take more of their belongings.

Later, the hooligans leave the train at their stop stripped down to nothing but their skin and underwear. They're surprisingly good sports about it.

You hold out their belongings to them.

"Here you go. I don't care as long as I got my friend's stuff back. It's hard to be naked at this time of year, isn't it?"

They look at you with some confusion.

The glasses-wearing ringleader especially seems amused. "Kid... we haven't sunk so low as to be pitied by you."

And yet they were grabbing for their belongings anyway.

There's laughter and good cheer as they get themselves dressed again. Pleasant smalltalk back and forth while the train waits for people to disembark and embark. You still have a long way to go, so you remain. The child in their group offers up what looks to be a simple necklace--or something wrapped in with a string held tightly in their fist. You're not sure what to do with this.

The glasses-wearing hooligan gently scolds the child, reminding them that that's their precious treasure and they should keep it safe. Instead, the man digs around in his own pocket and tosses you something as the train starts to pull away from the station. You manage to catch it--a deck of cards.

"Please let us off with that, okay!"

You smile back at them as the train continues down the line to the east.]

[aono]

[Allen your MEMORIES

But by the end of it, Rin is laughing so much that he has to lean on a wall for support. Because really? THIS is what Allen is like? A total card shark with a heart of gold who just wants to protect his friends?]

Oh man! You took 'em for all they were worth, didn't you?

[Rin wholeheartedly approves. This side of Allen is a fun one to see too.]

[lefthandpath]

[oh. this is... actually, a good response.

he laughs a little, sheepish.]

Well, they asked for it?

[aono]

They really did, scamming your friend like that. Scammers should always be expecting the counter-scam.

[No sympathy for them, none.]

[lefthandpath]

That's how life on the streets work, yeah. They really should have expected it.

Anyway, best to avoid this area a bit. Seems like there's those shards lingering about.

[aono]

Yeah, let's go this way-

[Sorry Allen you get a memory too!

Luckily, it's a fun one! One of a day out with friends, visiting tourist spots in a big city. And at the end of it all, a simple request leads to a touching memory.

It's actually one of the nicer ones Rin gets this week, so he's left smiling by the end of it.]

[lefthandpath]

[oh no, Allen actually--he's surprised by an actual, genuine laugh escaping him at the end there.

so surprised, he actually slaps a hand to his mouth and looks to Rin to be sure that laughing is even okay there. because, listen, for as much the Satan thing clearly bothers Rin, it was clearly wholesome friendly bullying happening.]

[aono]

[It's all good, Rin is smiling. Even with the teasing, it's a happy memory for him.]

I think I lucked out, to have good friends like them. I spent years and years thinking the only friend I'd have in life is Yukio. Don't get me wrong, he's good company! But having more friends besides him is good too.

[The Satan thing does bother him when people are insulting him for it, but gentle teasing is alright it seems.]

[lefthandpath]

[he moves his hand away, then, smiling softly.]

They seem like good people to have as friends.