🙶 ☆ — batter up !

NOSE SCRUNCHES IN AMUSEMENT, sampo on the cusp of a chuckle but it doesn't quite escape.  if it was meant to be some sort of joke, then it certainly landed, not enough for the grifter to double over in laughter  &  slap a knee but it did resonate with one that walks the path of the elation.

he makes a small, quick movement, attempting to get some of his blue fringe out of his face, better look at caelus.         ❝  if you're the only customer, then i can't say it's worth it.  ❞         an implication that not many would want sticky hands laid upon them, sampo's reputation lending to an image of a crafty man looking to empty pockets.

a squeeze to the trailblazer's hand.          ❝  but see !  a friend willing to support my business.  aheh, i always knew you had a soft spot for your old pal, sampo ~   ❞

*. ⊹ ✧ — It’s good, and it’s working. The Nameless wonders if grasping hands would ever be a tactic utilized in grifting... ah, the good old buzzer trick ? The chill must’ve tickled Caelus’ brain enough.

But Sampo’s hand is there; warm and real. And there’s scandalous thoughts. Maybe blasphemous, too.

🙶 Well, ya did get us out of a bind a few times. 🙷 Words which oft doesn’t come with people he was uneasy with priorly. Elation folks or those heavily attuned ( willingly or not ) appears to have their own philosophy about ‘ laughter ’ or ‘ joy ’—some self-indulgent, some not.

🙶 Ya think you can swindle a Lord Ravager ? 🙷

And there it is. The man holding blackmail for Aha THEMSELVES in the form of unpaid dues would not be above tricking a Lord Ravager using some questionable methods.

a cheshire smile spreads across sampo's face, a knowing one.  thanks for the tip !  oh, he has such the best clients, that's why this is his favorite !  he parts to tuck the bill away.

*. ⊹ ✧ — It’s pleasant, and for a good cause⋯ Caelus would loathe to refuse. Besides, the frost is a harsh judge for the unprepared and takes plenty of prisoners. Even the Stellaron thrumming within his chest and a touch of the Trailblaze’s innate ability isn’t enough.

🙶 You don’t suppose this could be a new venture ? 🙷

( If certain people were here, they’d disapprove of enabling behavior. Unfortunately for them, they are not within a 10 meter radius ! )

          id     :     [     穹     ]

                    [   voicemail   :   ]

"

hello caelus.

i thought leaving a voice note would be easier than trying to read a message when next you're able to use your phone.

when i came to see you in the medical bay, the assistants told me you were otherwise occupied. with your abnormal healing abilities i'm sure you'll want to fight sooner than the recommended 3-4 weeks of concussion recovery, but please allow me to assist you next time.

oh, march said she's stuck and can't find the last wubbawoo, and told me to she's sorry she 'bricked' your account. whatever that means.

*. ⊹ ✧ — Caelus, in his first day of full clarity ( and discharged, with of course, a bandage wound about his forehead ) listened to the audio message as he ambles back to the Express. What’s previously a string of randomized sentences were absolutely clear; the ocean-like noise permeating his eardrums gone. Like receiving higher-quality headphones.

⋯ of course Dan Heng sounds perplexed about the altercation. Caelus would as well if he were the receiver. One of the factors of or supporting those who defeated Lord Ravagers and getting his ( not so ) sorry ass handed to him by a lowly Voidranger ? It wears on the pride.

🙶 Yeah. Definitely not going into my ‘ Best of ’ compilation. 🙷

Taking a deep breath and casting aside the woe is me mindset over this fluke, the Trailblazer focused his efforts elsewhere. Like the welcoming doors of the Astral Express. And a good, old conflict with March about bricking his account of two years, once eye contact is established. Alas, she’s elsewhere, as he gathered from peeking at the group chat about her going a shopping spree. Yet another priority dashed.

Tucking his possession into his pocket, Caelus hummed a catchy tune on his way to filch some of Dan Heng’s precious time. Hand weaving through knotted hair from both his clash and a much-needed stay with medical personnel.

Fingers rapping against the wall straddling the archives and March’s room, Caelus hoped that he’ll be received.

🙶 Guess who’s back~ 🙷

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀—— 𖦏 ⌯⁍ * he was aboard the Express, but that doesn't mean he's settled . he's amicable, but in the way that a wild animal is rescued in one's backyard . wary, pacing, but grateful in their own way . he knew he was hard to look at, hard to reconcile someone with so little humanity ─── at least on the surface level .

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ * unnatural eyes, teeth, traded away to make him deadlier . most folks on this train were nice enough . just wasn't in his wheelhouse to be so .. approached . to have others gather around him not in morbid curiosity but instead clamoring for the sake of his well - being . ain't that a kick in the teeth . when did he, a piece of culture so dedicated to community, get so skittish at the idea ?

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ * joined at his side, ( * @galacticbaseballcr ) opts to look out the same window as their newest companion, & reticle eye turns its sight onto the trailblazer .. almost fondly .

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ * ❛ now, what you wastin' time on me fer ? do i really look that pitiful over here all by my lonesome ? ❜ sharp teeth gleam in his good natured smile ; uniform yet chaotic .

*. ⊹ ✧ — The Trailblazer strives to outdo his streak of fitful sleep. A record which refuses to shatter—late-night gaming a hard habit to kick—the consolation prize being undereye bags and an unusually tired gaze. Gilded hues met with Boothill’s gaze.

There’s always the option of taking a good slumber; but he cannot abandon a bag that crinkled between half-gloved fingers, nor deny conversing. As one lime-colored, sweet sphere lands on the Nameless’ tongue, an inkling of thought materializes once the sweet’s well down his gullet.

🙶 Oh, c’mon. There’s no such thing as wasting time when a Trailblazer wants a chat. 🙷

Typical Caelus behavior, but at half-speed. Even if chewing and swallowing occurs at a normal clip, everything else lags in comparison. Swallowing one portion of his treat before parting his lips once more:

🙶 By the way. How many bites does it take to get to the end of a bullet ? 🙷 Careless speech from a lagging mind. Caelus’ joystick-worn fingers dug through his Trick Snack pouch once more, this time with the energy of an ancient sloth. 🙶 Or would it, like, dislocate your teeth before you reach the finish line ? 🙷

Not single a morsel of tact available, nor the means to not blurt out absolute nonsense, or even common sense.

"and how do i tell these people that i would never be a good father?" understanding the younger generation's terms is proving truly difficult for blade. however, it's also not comprehensible what kind of vision these people have of him. "tell me something. you're chronically online, aren't you? can i read what they say about me?"

*. ⊹ ✧ — Yes, Caelus is rather agile in the tech use department. No, the desire to communicate to hobbyists ( or even aspiring authors ) and shutting down their operations is an exercise in futility. And death threats—besides, what category of Trailblazer would permit restrictions, no matter how distasteful ?

Well, save for untruths such as libel. Plenty of that to go around, even for the top players of the Phantasmoon Games.

Sensing a headache from a split second away, the Trailblazer rubbed the pad of his thumb against his temple. Poor, poor Blade. May he never bear witness to fiction penned by hormonally excited people.

🙶 I highly suggest you don’t, 🙷 said in a low whisper, as if revealing awful futures should the Stellaron Hunter unearth such⋯ literature. 🙶 What you do with your pointy stick has nothin’ to do with me if ya do anyways, but I can’t say the same for your phone. It can be literally phone-shatteringly frustrating to see a version of yourself deconstructed and put into situations you wouldn’t dare be in, normally speaking. 🙷

"i don't qualify as a dad. i don't understand how they have this perspective of me... i don't even have children."

*. ⊹ ✧ — 🙶 When people say that, they mean dad material. Ironically or not. Evidently, it’s the latter in roughly 98% of cases. 🙷

Caelus produces a weary sigh, as if carrying the weight of the world upon his shoulders speaking about tropes and/or preferences.

🙶 There’s entire collectives out there dedicated to ‘ disturb the comfortable ’ and ‘ comfort the disturbed ’ or however that quotation goes. 🙷

" What? Sue me. Is a girl not even allowed to look these days?! "

*. ⊹ ✧ — 🙶 I am begging you to reconsider ! Y’see, I have this friend⋯ they’re nice to look at and they’d make a kickass lover ! 🙷

He’s praying to Akivili that his offer’s taken as a bluff and with a grain of sand on Jarilo VI ( that is, none. )