[Futurelandia] An Eventful Valentines and beyond (happy new year)

[generalflirt]

[ Nathan moved into tow and that was awkward, Yamato and Nariko probably have some sort of a relationship and that's awkward, Yamato's been trying to make new friends so that's interesting, and Masaomi and Nariko are hopefully solid as anything after that trip, Nathan and Yamato complications aside. There's a new pack member that Masaomi met at a party and Nariko met in class. It's been over a month since the new year began and the old one concluded.

A lot's changed and yet not a lot had at all.

And frankly, things were probably just going to change that much more in the coming days and weeks. this might be edited to something more poetic later once we conclude more stuff about that other log ]

Comments

[chasingthemorning]

[ But it made him look cool his daddy used to do it like that-- but fine, fine, he spits them out into his hand and hands them off to her too, looking a little bit put out to be proved definitively Not a Carpenter. He'd suck at that anyway though and so he shakes it off and turns to Nathan smiling ]

By the way, nice to really meet you, Bossman.

[ Whoa hey- ] Hey, I'm not the boss here, just someone moving into town. But same, I really appreciate everyone coming to help me out like this.

[ Tom tuts and looks over at the art before looking back at Nathan ] Well, I don't think anyone could refuse Nariko's request, it's true.

[themaelstrom]

Thank you. [He gets a Look that should really only be delegated to one with an actual girlfriend status but, hey, what can Audrey even attempt to say here? She's a worrier, and Tom's still got a soft spot in her for one reason or another. So the tails and hammer are held safely without any tossing or proximity to ones tongue.

She does laugh at at that final bit though - how many times has Nathan heard something to that effect? Is he finally beginning to understand that it all goes back into taking care of their own, even in an abstract way?

Probably not, dude's weird as hell.]

[chasingthemorning]

Tom, right, so you thought it belonged here?

[ Tom looks at the art, and finally shakes his head ] Naw, not really - I just kidna didn't know where it ought to go and so I just let it sit here, y'know?

[ Nathan nods, ] Yeah, I can't blame you - even if I'm surprised Nariko didn't just style the house herself entirely, including this one. I half expected to have to fiddle with it myself once everything was done sometime next week.

[ Hah. ] Ain't that the truth? I don't know how she is with you as her brother, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see her do it either.

[themaelstrom]

I'm so telling on the both of you.

[Though it's entirely possible that the woman in question would probably admit to over organizing for the sake of all involved anyway, so maybe it's not much of a real threat.]

It's difficult to place but it's also really cool. But with a baby around and Veronica, I was kind of worried someone might smack into it.

[So she'd insisted to Tom that they at least had to put it up and out of the way before one of them, in all their hurrying to get stuff done, tripped over something that might very well be the cost of the house itself.]

[chasingthemorning]

Veronica's resting in the guest room now.

[ . . . Did he smell a hint of Jasmine? ]

'Bout time. [ Tom answers. But okay, him and Nathan nod at each other and go to collect the art between the two of them, making ready to lift it up carefully and carry it with them ]

Okay, so the corner of the kitchen?

For not, yeah- ugh. Not really a bedroom piece.

[themaelstrom]

Well isn't that something out of a wet dream.

[Two hot guys lifting stuff, bless. Granted since this is reality in all of it's general glory neither are just standing around for her own benefit, and Audrey has to follow them, and by slinking around Tom she works ahead a bit to the kitchen proper.]

Mm. What about here? It'll look really nice in the morning when the sun hits it.

[She's pointing at a section of wall that would inevitably bathe in sunlight, though right now it's just a normal old space. Audrey points to it, kind of vaguely.

Mostly she wonders how one guy could need so much shit.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ Hey, he really doesn't have that much - or at least, he didn't order that much! Nariko picked out some of it! That said, Nathan doesn't respond to Audrey other than to laugh a little, but Tom, grunting and smiling himslf, actually responds to Audrey, ]

Ain't you always a little wet? At least when I'm around.

[ That said, he does seem to flex a little in carrying the statue. Which Nathan blinks at, but nods - and whne they get to the spot on the wall... ]

Oh yeah, that might be good.

[ And let's make the way over there to drop it ... ]

[themaelstrom]

[He's one dude, that he even needs anything more than a studio apartment is mind boggling to her - but then again they live in an actual suburb and away from all that stuff, so maybe it's more a location deal. Of course Tom earns a grin out of her.]

I'm three fourths of the way to soaking my panties, obviously.

[It's amazing that Nathan can just ignore this, Audrey might respect him a little more.]

So, Nathan, are you a prude?

[chasingthemorning]

[ At that, Tom snorts. And once they've set down the statue, he winks at Audrey and leans against the wall, wishing that he had access to those nails and hammer, because he really did look cooler with them. And she looks threatening with them.

That said, Nathan blinks, starts to answer, stops, and then starts again, pointlessly trying to turn the statue ]

No? What's even given you that idea?

[themaelstrom]

[He can have them back if he doesn't stab his own tongue with them! And also if he fucks her later.]

You look like the sort of guy that is personally offended at the idea of anal sex, man, which is why I asked.

[It's important to not let ones impressions get in the way!]

[chasingthemorning]

[ What... why...

What... ]

No? [ He's so, so tempted to say something of the effect of "should you really be asking me this?" because she was, after all, a kid... but she wasn't. She was not only a legal adult, she's got to be way older than Nariko was when she first became sexually active. He's baffled at this conclusion, reaching into his pocket to thumb at the pills still inside of it, maybe even shaking the container, and he steps from one foot to the other, almost glancing to Tom for support but not expecting any ]

Look, it's not like that. I really don't even know where you're getting the impression and- does it matter?

[ Tom... well... ]

Well it matters because she wants you to do the last fourth.

[ Of getting her panties wet, which he again winks at her for. See, isn't he great? Not only does he flirt, he also wingmans? ]

[themaelstrom]

Exactly.

[Tom gets an incredibly grateful smile from her. He really is great and this is one of the reasons she likes him so much! Such a shame that he hasn't figured out that whole thing with his best friend, yet. If nothing else he's earned back the hammer and nails.

But she won't comfort him if he hurts himself in an incredibly stupid way.] I mean, I'm not talking about right now or whatever, but I didn't want to be presumptuous about it.

[And on the list of short things that turn her off, prudes are very much at the top.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ Tom beams back at her. ... Also he and Katsu are working it out, okay?! Okay... Okay... ]

I-- [ Isn't she way too young? But then, Tom looked a lot older than her too, or at last a fair bit. Nathan swallows, and he's caught amazingly off-guard by the remark, not even sure how to respond yet, and why he's feeling the need to prove something. Why he sees his sister's face now. ]

Were you expecting to smell me and that's why you asked?

[ Could he smell her? He inhales, and Tom grins as he takes the hammer and spins in his head ]

[themaelstrom]

[GOOD settle your demons man, Audrey wants you to be happy and at peace with yourself.]

No, you literally just look like the type that would clutch pearls over a vibrator.

[Just like she's not at all surprised that he didn't take her exact words at face value, and was somehow finding some other possibility within them.]

But I've also only known you for, like, five seconds.

[Maybe the second time is the charm.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ He grips the pills in his pocket even harder. If he was a different man, he might pull them out or use them to prove a point to her. He might elude to them as a way to challenge her assumption. But right now, he just didn't know how to react to her or to her suggestion? What did she expect out of him?!

( PS Tom is going off to hammer something. He gave you the set up peace out promise to creampie you later )

That said, Nathan sort of looks confused at her for many long seconds and then says... something which might be disastrous in the context of her relationship with Sullivan as well as their current arguments ]

Come on, kiddo, you don't need to tease me? [ He deflects away from it by saying that and trying to pat her head as if infantilizing her. Like he had with Junko, really, and ... well, there, it felt more sincere, somehow ]

[themaelstrom]

[If there's anyone in the house who could testify to how thoroughly it irritated Audrey to be treated like a child than it was definitely Sullivan. Even though her expression doesn't shift in the least she's ... She really wants to reach up and yank his arm out of its socket. But she's a nice person (with an awful, quickfire temper) and he doesn't know her any better than she knows him.

So he gets a pass this time. She tries to ignore the loss of control that comes with Tom's absence.]

You know, if someone isn't your type then I think the polite thing to do is say so, and let that be it.

[The thing on the top of her turn off list is being treated like a fucking three year old. Masaomi's definitely older than her and far wiser and they both know it, but at least he isn't disrespectful and he treats her like a normal person.]

If I really wanted to tease you, I'd already be sucking your dick, so don't get out of hand.

[And this is before she's even genuinely upset.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ . . . Well that was.

Different.

Nathan's not sure how to respond to that either, namely because he didn't want to chase jailbait (again, the image of his sister...) and he wasn't at all used to groupies (at least, not ones that young) and she got it too, right? She was from a monogamous family. The man looks around without turning his head, roving his eyes as if looking for someone who would support him here, only to remember that, of course, there is no one. Irina is not here, nor is Nariko. Amelia is dead.

... Why does he think of them?

Maybe that Tom guy would help? (no, he wouldn't, he would get all up in Nathan's business too) or one of the other adults? Nathan pulls his hands back to himself and looks at her again, sighing, and ... ]

I got dumbed before coming here. We'd been dating for a long time, but she refused my engagement. I'm not really sure what my type is right now. [ A beat ] Plus, you're like the same age as the niece I just met.

[ He hopes that's not that offensive? But whatever, he can't do much more than that for respect, having her be the first one who knows that ]

[themaelstrom]

For the record I'm nearly a year older than her.

[Her anger deflates very quickly, though. He's at least giving her a genuine, human answer and it's difficult to bristle at that, as well as the general truth of it.]

I'm sorry she left you, though. That's pretty awful.

[It might also begin to explain why he comes off as a fucking neurotic mess.] So I guess this means you're definitely going to leave Junko alone, then.

[chasingthemorning]

[ The moment that she says that last bit, the whole world sort of stops spinning. He feels lightheaded and sick at the same moment, and he's pretty sure he's in danger of having an asthma attack. No, no, deep breath in - okay, good, he can still do it. But what? In this context, what did that- did she mean-- how could she mean--

Did she know?

Did Nariko tell her? Did Nariko tell... no, it wasn't like that it wasn't like that he wan't like that anymore. A panic rolls over his body, and it's as much indignation as terror as he replies, ]

Yes?

[ But he's also gripping the pill case in his pocket tight enough his hand is shaking when he gives the answer, and something in the word seems to represent a dam being broken, like there was a risk of that too ]

[themaelstrom]

[W o w okay that is not the reaction she expected at all. It's immediately alarming, how clearly he seems to fall off some precipice that Audrey couldn't have possibly known. He's shaking and looking as if someone's pushed him into fight or flight mode, and given her history with men who look so upset and weirdly aggressive at once it makes her anxious like nothing else.]

Dude, just - I was just asking because I'm pretty sure she still messes around with Yamato and you're sort of like him!

[So, to Audrey, it really wasn't that big of a leap, though she was completely off base concerning how Junko herself felt - her life was full enough with Rin, Yamato, and her father, there's no room for anyone else.]

It's not a big deal or whatever, breathe or something!

[chasingthemorning]

[ Koji resents that assessment, Junko.

That said, she... She was not helping. Nathan's grip on the pill case gets that much harder, and he's found that it's out of his pocket now, as if he were going to lift it up and - and what? Force her to take one? Take one himself? No, he wasn't like that. He wasn't like that. He--

His scent was coming out now, but it was the same sort of twisted, repressed mess of a scent Yamato had had back when this all began, and the moment he smells himself he inhales deep and tries to repress it. No, he wasn't turned on by that- ]

Not a big deal?!

[ But that's incest! That's- That's why he and Nariko- Even if at the funeral- ]

[themaelstrom]

[Koji do you really still need to be told that you're part of the fabric of Junko's life come on now. How else would you keep Veronica on her toes.

But in the moment: Yeah, Audrey is not doing a good job here but the problem is that she doesn't understand why. Of course she knows that most people who come from monogamous families would have an issue with that. It is definitely incest. But she also kind of figured that his sister would have mentioned some of the greater intricacies that came with this pack.

That was a very awful bet to have made.]

Just forget that I said anything! No one is sleeping with anyone!

[If only it were that easy.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ That's--

Okay, no, no. This time, in a strange flash, his annoyance turns to anger, and he takes a half step towards Audrey, the pills now out of his pocket entirely and brandished as if they were a weapon or something. But the real anger was in his eyes, and he's not even sure what it's Truly towards.

That said- ]

Okay, if I can't call you kid, then you can't turn around and think I'm braindead. It does not work that way.

[themaelstrom]

[She doesn't like that half step nor the growing sense of jumping anxiety that's making an infinity loop from the middle of her stomach to the edge of her toes. It's the anger that gets her mostly, it's what leaves her unable to call Tom's name even though right now she really, really wants to. This is a situation she's lost control of and -]

I didn't - you're not! I just - I didn't mean to upset you!

[Masaomi. She wants Masaomi or Nariko or Yamato or someone who wouldn't freeze in large sections, who wouldn't be weak right now.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ And the hero we deserve was, ]

Hey pal, come on, back off.

[ Sullivan. He sounds so mild-mannered as he says it, but it's with a stern voice, not exactly Alpha material, but more than enough to draw Nathan's attention and make him realize that he looks like a crazy person. The dumpy man half walks half runs over to the pair, and in fact steps between them, making to brush Audrey behind him ]

I don't know what's happening, but you can't get in Audrey's face like that.

[ Nathan inhales deep, and he looks down at his hand. At the pills. Sully does too, and ... he recognizes them, even through the case. his eyes widen, and then they look back up at Nathan and narrow. The suspicion cuts into nathan's heart, and he wants to drop the pills, hide them, eat them, something?

But... ]

I... I didn't mean it like that, don't worry.

[ Sully ... ]

Look- we talked earlier and you're Nariko's brother, so I know it's fine. But you're scaring the girl and so just- just... get the hell out of here.

[ He sort of ends lamely there, waving a hand to shoo Nathan. Who is - he blinks once, and then puts the pills in his pockets and turns to walk away ]