Happy Lily

Help Wanted - Naofumi & Tenka

Naofumi blinked, his emerald eyes glancing over at her PDA to carefully memorize the character she showed to him. “A pendant, huh..” Mostly he tended to work on items involving jewels or gems, but lately he was trying to get into something more detailed. Among the things he was doing was practicing creating a simple representation of his Sword of Damocles. Well it was fairly simplistic in design so he could probably handle it without too much trouble.

Naofumi dug into the pocket of his green hoodie and pulled out his phone, holding it up and positioning it so that the mascot was clearly within frame and snapped the picture. This way he would have a reference to refer to in case he forgot. “Got it. I’ll try to have it ready the next time you drop by.” Well, he doubted she’d show up tomorrow so he figured he had plenty of time to work with. 

The male slipped his phone back into his pocket and then gazed at the girl who stood timidly before him. He lowered his head and sighed, closing his eyes as he lightly waved her off. “If that’s everything you can go.” He wasn’t trying to get rid of her, but in his own strange way being considerate, unsure if she knew what to do or was waiting for permission to leave regardless. 

He had no reason to stay where he was but decided to wait until she had moved away. It was like trying to move slowly or carefully for a skittish animal. The last thing he needed to do was set her off and have her screaming or set off those weird plants again. They had come seemingly out of nowhere so he deduced they were probably an ability of hers. He didn’t care enough to ask though so he didn’t. 

Huh?

He had...agreed to it? He seemed scary and mean, but he was a lot kinder than he initially came off. She couldn’t but smile a bit shyly as she did before, giggling to herself as she brought her free hand close to her face. “Nihehe...you’re a kind person,” she praised quietly. Once he had taken the photo, she slipped her phone back into her pocket, quietly buzzing with excitement for the pendant she’d one day have. Of course, getting it meant she’d have to return to this shady part of town...maybe she’d make someone come with her when she came back. 

It’d take her a little while to sell all the pieces, and even then she needed to find the courage to actually show her face back on these streets but...she could do it! She was getting better with going out on her own, talking to others without hiding, and all of that. She wasn’t perfect, not even close, but she was trying...and that was enough.

shyalstroemeria​:

unpolished emerald || tenka & shizuku

“E-eh?” Shizuku felt her stomach drop as the poor girl began to cry. She was clearly distressed, and that made her feel terrible. Just what had broken? Who was going to be mad?  She seemed so upset about it, she could only assume it was something terribly important. Still, she doubted the girl wanted to be seen in public like this. Her heart went out to the poor girl, remembering how she’d also had something of a breakdown in a semi-public place, though it had been for entirely different reasons.

“Here, come inside for a bit and we can talk. You said something broke? Maybe I can help,” she offered. Granted, she had no way of knowing just what the girl meant, but hopefully it was something she could help fix. She at least had superglue on hand somewhere…

“Do you want some tea? Or maybe some water?” There wasn’t anyone in the store right now, so she reasoned it was fine, and Otto wasn’t there to say it was bad for business either. The girl definitely needed some sort of help, and she wasn’t about to turn away someone who looked so sad. 

If anything, Shizuku was almost reminded of a small animal, shaken and alone. Maybe a rabbit..? Well, she hoped she could help soothe the girl and get rid of whatever was troubling her.

Tenka had been incredibly lucky to have been found by someone who was kind. She didn’t even want to imagine what kind of scary thing would happen to her if her King found her. He’d definitely be upset with her, and probably raise his voice...he was a scary guy, after all. “O-okay...” Tenka gathered the broken necklace in her hands before slowly rising to her feet. This girl didn’t seem all that scary, so she figured it was fine to trust her. Besides, Tenka couldn’t do anything about the necklace on her own. Maybe this girl knew something about jewelry...

The shop the girl seemed to be referring to was something Tenka hadn’t ever noticed before. As they stepped inside, the display cases with jewelry inside. In fact, some of it looked eerily similar to the things Tenka had sold for the King! She froze in place for a moment before slowly making her way to one of the display cases, glancing back and forth between the item in her hands and the items behind the glass. 

shyalstroemeria​:

Light in Starless Sky || Tenka & Akira

The first thing Akira noticed in this room was the large staircase in the center, building up to the face of what looked to be a giant clock. Immediately, that strange and unfamiliar sight, combined with the eerie green light filtering in from the windows, sent the chill of fear crawling through his spine. Although it might be easy to write the whole thing off as a bad dream he was having, something in the room’s stagnant air and the very sturdy floor he found himself on imparted the certain disquieting sensation that, at least for the present, this was his reality.

As Akira drew himself to his feet, the next things to draw his attention were the other people present in the room with him. One was a girl whose full height came to around his chest, wearing some cute character hoodie and looking even more distressed than he felt. The other figure in the room was a man with short white hair and clad in a blue attendant uniform. After an awkward pause during which Akira and the girl both seemed to just stare at the man in blue, it was none other than the girl who shattered the silence by starting to voice the question that was on his mind as well.

…

He stayed quiet as the man, Theodore, went on to describe the tower of Tartarus and their role in being here. Basically, it seemed like the two of them had been specifically selected for the role of ascending the tower to slay some foul beast. That all seemed a little outlandish, honestly, but honestly, he didn’t doubt that his own abilities could live up to expectations. It seemed to be then, too, that the girl accompanying him must have had some extraordinary power as well… at least if Theodore’s words were to be believed. Although the self-defeating words spilling from her own mouth at the end, the tears leaking from those eyes brimming full of fear, and the trembling of her small body all lent to a different impression.

Regardless…

“Don’t worry.” Speaking these words softly, Akira placed a gloved hand on the girl’s shoulder. “We’ll be okay. One way or another, we’ll climb this tower and escape. You can always rely on me.”

Ultimately, there was no other option if they wanted to get out. Whether this was some crazy dream or reality, in the end, their goal right now was the simple goal of just reaching the top of the tower.

Besides, his thrill-seeking heart soared at such a perfect opportunity to draw out the full potential of his power.

His mouth pulled up and, with raw determination surging through his veins, he started towards that staircase.

“Please do not worry yourself so much. I have no doubts that the two of you will be victorious.” Theodore seemed more than confident in their abilities, despite this being the first time he was meeting the two. He seemed pleased that the young man had taken some sort of initiative, and could only hope the young woman would be able to move her shaking legs with his encouragement. 

“You can always rely on me.”

He was a complete stranger, and the line honestly felt like it was ripped from a cheesy video game or something of the sort, but something about his voice felt reassuring. This man with dark hair and strange attire (though not stranger than the man in the blue attendant uniform) looked like some kind of action hero was a manga or blockbuster movie. So, even so she really didn’t want to go, she offered a meek nod and followed him up the staircase and through the large clock that lied at the top.

She hadn’t been ready.  Upon arriving inside, she found that the same eerie, green glow that illuminated the lobby they had awoken in was even more intense here. Even with the strange light from outside, it was still rather dark. The path ahead was uncertain, but it was a tower, and so the stairs had to be somewhere. They just had to move...up. “T-Tenka will do her best t-to find the stairs...” Her words often offered little comfort, but saying it out loud gave her a tiny bit of courage. 

It seemed oddly quiet as they stood in the tower, despite the fact that there were supposed to be monsters around, she didn’t see or hear anything at all. Even though she had wished to explore and leave quickly, she found herself captivated by something outside the window. “The moon...” It was a full moon, and yet it was unlike anything she had ever seen due to the sickly, green hue. And yet, she found herself captivated by it. 

The apology was a little confusing to Narihisago. Any way you looked at it, Narihisago was the one that should be apologizing. In his attempt to help, he had ended up hurting the both of them. “It seemed as though you were more troubled by the situation that I was. After all, I’m the one whose feet are solid on the ground with no help,” he pointed out.

“I’m Akihito Narihisago. Sorry for hurting you. With your own ability, no less.” Narihisago frowned, thinking about that a bit more. Why did he take her ability, anyway? She wasn’t the first, but.. “I’m going to assume that you don’t normally float away on your own.”

“When did that start for you?” Maybe her trouble staying grounded had some sort of common link with his soaking up strain abilities like a sponge.

“T-tenka...Osaki...um, nice to meet you.” She had to properly introduce herself and then...what was he apologizing for? It was her who had made a mess of things! He was the one who had rescued her! The only thing she had done was not make the situation worse which was...something new for her. She realized that apologizing again would likely lock them in some kind of unbreakable cycle. It was probably best to move on.

She had to wonder if he was some kind of detective or something with the way he spoke. It reminded her of the Scepter 4 clansmen who occasionally stopped by to check up on her, and yet there was a certain roughness to his voice that the bright-eyed recruits didn’t have. Of course, he was older than most of the clansmen who were sent to check on her, so that made sense. 

Help Wanted - Naofumi & Tenka

Naofumi was careful to take her hand, making sure he wasn’t too firm. This was only the second time he’d transferred his power to another, but it was easier since he knew just what to do. He closed his eyes and willed the power he held to flow from his hand and into her. The two of them were bathed in a brilliant emerald glow and once Naofumi opened his eyes, it disappeared from his body. Tenka still had that glow about her which confirmed to the both of them that the transference had been successful. He carefully released her hand and retracted it. 

“Here.” Without wasting a single moment, he reached into his other pocket and produced from it a drawstring bag. It was bulky and stuck out at odd angles but that was because it was filled with different accessories, much like the ones he had shown her earlier. “I’ll give you these to start with. They should have stickers on each of them with prices. Come back when you sell them all.” 

He didn’t even bother to introduce himself, but at least he knew her name, not that he’d ever address her as such. “Though if there’s payment you want let me know now so that I can make it for you, otherwise you can go.” He was still as a prickly as ever and only focused on the job. Even if she was leagues apart from the Bitch who framed him, he still felt uncomfortable in the presence of a woman. 

He was green, like an emerald.

No, they were green. 

This was the power of a King? Despite her body being enveloped in what she now knew to be his light, she felt fairly normal. Besides the fact that she was glowing, and something about it made her feel more...powerful? But that was likely her mind playing tricks on her, right? Nothing could make someone like Tenka powerful. Not even shared power from a king. 

Even as Tenka was trying to get a grasp on whatever her new abilities meant, her king had no interest in showing her the ropes. It was straight to the work that she had agreed to do, and it seemed like she wasn’t even supposed to see him again until everything was sold. “U-um...King...san” She took the bag with care not to crush anything inside, looking at it curiously before looking back up to him. She didn’t even know his name.

And she was far too awkward of a person to ask him. She couldn’t ask someone who made such scary faces a question like that, even if she had just become a clansmen. She could however, ask him for a specific place of jewelry since he had offered that. If she didn’t do it now, she probably would never ask him. “I-if you could make a pendant to look like him,” she began, holding up her PDA to show off her case, which depicted a cute, round, devil mascot type character. “...then Tenka would be grateful...” She trailed off, fiddling with her fingers as she averted her gaze. 

Disruption At The Arcade || Subaru & Tenka

“I’m okay to walk this far,” was Subaru’s polite but firm refusal to Tenka’s offer to lean on her for support. Besides being a little light-headed, he really didn’t feel too bad anyways…

…Until he tried to take even just one step towards that bench.

Unable to bear his weight anymore, his legs trembled and he stumbled, almost falling to the ground except that he managed to grasp onto Tenka’s arm for support. He mumbled a flustered “sorry”, but nevertheless didn’t let go and continued like this until reaching the bench and dropping his weight onto it with a sigh. The distance traveled hadn’t been far, but still his vision swam and whirled in front of him, bringing waves of nausea surging back up into his throat, and, as soon as he sat down, he had to shut his eyes for a moment.

Hazily, he was aware that after he sat down, Tenka had remained standing, and he could make out the distant tones of her voice rising and falling as she said… something.

Then, as his sense of balance slowly steadied, and the noise from the outside world came in clearer, he opened his eyes again and saw her sitting opposite of him. At her prompt, he noticed the bag that had been placed beside him and reached inside to grab one of the bottles. His parched mouth and throat cried for water, so even though he felt bad imposing on her like this, he uncapped the bottle and gulped several mouthfuls. Immediately, he felt a little better, more alert and stable, and turned his gaze back onto her.

“I… Sorry about this. I do definitely feel better, though… so I guess I should really thank you for the help, too. But more importantly, are you okay?” Her tear-streaked face pushed into the forefront of his mind, overriding his other concerns. She looked a bit calmer now, so maybe it had just been the shock of being so abruptly caught up in such a dangerous situation. Though of course it had only been because of her that it had ended as nicely as it did. “I get that all that was a little sudden, though unfortunately I have no idea who that guy is.”

Really, it was a relief he had made it to the bench at all. Even though they were now sitting down and Subaru seemed to be more or less stable, Tenka couldn’t help but watch him carefully for any sudden changes. Despite her own anxiety and usual timidness, she leaned slightly towards him as if examining him. Once he drank some water, it seemed like his alertness was returning. His face seemed to be regaining color as well, albeit slowly. Once he was able to return her gaze, she began to shrink back, scooting over a little more than she had been and letting her back hunch slightly. 

Tenka timidly brought her hands up by her chest, touching her two index fingers together as she finally looked back. “Tenka is fine...W-will you really be okay though...?” Her voice was soft and a little hard to hear, but if one was paying attention, they’d be able to hear the worry in her voice.

She was sure she had already let him know that she was alright, so she had to wonder why he felt the need to ask again. Crying wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to the point where she almost always looked as if she could burst into tears at any given moment. It wasn’t his fault, it was just how she was. Though the drunken man hadn’t really helped...

Even so, Tenka was alright. She hadn’t been physically harmed at all, unlike the boy beside her who had looked like he was moments away from toppling over. He would be fine with some rest, which is why she wished he had gone home. Though on the other hand...he only just barely made it to the bench. She doubted he would’ve been able to make it home even with her support, and it wasn’t as if he was terrible company either. He didn’t seem to be a bad person...just someone with bad luck.

“Auu....Tenka is...just happy it’s over,” she admitted with a tiny sigh. Her racing heart had calmed quite a bit compared to when the man had first appeared, and she felt more or less normal. For now. Even if she wasn’t calm, she was the one who came out unscathed. She had to put on a brave face and look after the person who had taken the hit. 

Narihisago heard her words, but he didn’t respond just yet. Not until the petals stopped hurting them. Emotional, huh? With time, Narihisago’s emotions were significantly less strong than they used to be, but when someone needed to be saved, he always seemed to act on his feelings rather than any sort of logic or reasoning. So it would make sense that this particular outburst was caused by his emotions.

He appreciated the attempt to calm him down, at least. Sure enough, as he continued to control his breathing and focused on it, the petals became less frequent, dwindling in number until finally, the petals were no longer a threat to either of them. Narihisago was a bit cut up, but he could deal with that later.

“I’m sorry,” he said to Tenka. “Normally I’m more level-headed than that.” The vines that had crept up along Narihisago’s legs had retreated a little, and he assumed that was part of her ability as well. If that was the case, then…

He focused, and the vines began to wind their way up Narihisago again, wrapping around his arm and finally around Tenka’s wrist. “There.” He could bring her down with these vines, then. “You shouldn’t fly away now. I got you.”

To her relief, the petal stormed seemed to be slowing to a stop. At the very least, the petals seemed to be harmless. That was good...he had gotten ahold of his emotions, it seemed. That was faster than Tenka could usually do so, so she couldn’t help but wonder if this stranger had gotten a better grasp on her ability than she had. Was she really that pathetic that he understood it better than she did...?

shyalstroemeria​:

Disruption At The Arcade || Subaru & Tenka

Slowly and with a great amount of exertion, Subaru pushed himself up to his feet. His knees trembled, struggling to carry his weight in his weakened and dizzy state, but he managed to stay upright with a little effort. His head still throbbed painfully, and his vision blurred and whirled before his eyes, and he was pretty sure he probably had some degree of concussion. But even still, he couldn’t mistake the sight of Tenka’s upset, tear-streaked face.

Compelled onward by nothing more than his strong desire to ease her woes, he stumbled forward, placed both his hands squarely on her shoulders, and gazed down into her eyes. Maybe it was just because his brain was rattled from that blow earlier, but he couldn’t figure out what was so upsetting to her. Hadn’t she seen how amazing that ability was? Well, maybe there was something about it that he’d missed from his position. But still, that she’d saved them both from a worse fate was unmistakable.

“Tenka-tan, it’s okay. Listen, what you did, it’s okay. That guy, he’s passed out on the ground right now, but… it really could have been so much worse if you hadn’t done that. I’m just… glad you’re okay. Ah, I’m not really sure how to put this, but I just think it’s because of your power that we’re able to get away with minimal injury like this.” He released his breath in a shaky sigh and moved both his hands down to clasp one of hers. “I’ll be okay with some water and rest, I think.” Honestly, he didn’t particularly relish the idea of admitting himself to a hospital unless he got worse. It’d be easier to just sleep this off. Perhaps he should just go ahead and head home to sleep, but he also didn’t want to leave her alone when she was making such a sad face. He’d never forgive himself for doing something so heartless, so instead–

“Anyways, sorry to ask this, but… That asshole cracked my skull pretty good and I’m not feeling too steady on my feet yet. Is it okay if we sit down somewhere?”

“Auu...” Tenka instinctively tensed up as the boy placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling her face heat up from both the close contact and the praise he was giving her. Really, her power wasn’t anything good or special, but it had helped keep them safe...that was a good thing, right? “Okay...” Her body remained tense as she took her hand in both of his, looking up at him as her tears finally began to dry up.She couldn’t act so helpless right now, when she hadn’t even sustained a single injury. She had to help him somehow, but he didn’t seem to take to her suggestion of visiting the hospital. The next best thing was to get him home and let his family help him, but he didn’t seem intent on doing that either.

Since he wanted to sit down, Tenka glanced around for a bench, finding that there was one right outside of the arcade. There was a vending machine close-by too, so she could grab him a cold water from there, assuming she still had some coins left in her wallet. “Um...okay. You can lean on Tenka if you need to,” she offered, despite knowing she likely couldn’t support his weight on his own. As they managed to make it to the nearby bench, she let him take a seat as she remained standing and began digging through her water. “Tenka will get you some water...hold on, Subaru-kun...” She quietly began looking around for a vending machine, but opted for the convenience store at the corner of the street,

Help Wanted - Naofumi & Tenka

Hearing what the girl thought about his work and the gentle smile that laced her features made Naofumi slightly embarrassed. That kind of smile was almost disarming. Almost. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and waited for her reply and was surprised to see her shift away from skittish to mild determination. He couldn’t help but smile, but only slightly and briefly. It was weird. Like seeing a five year old learn how to walk for the first time.

“Healing and.. shield making. I guess.” It was the best and quickest way to describe what he could do. Although now that he thought of it.. maybe those powers suited someone this clumsy. 

He stared hard at her for a moment. “You should opt for the power.” It was.. probably better to suggest it. Someone as spineless as her would probably go along with it. “I can make you stuff too if you want but don’t go bothering me for something too much.” With that he slowly extended his hand to her knowing that if he didn’t move carefully it might scare her off, despite her earlier bravado. 

“If you fully agree to these terms I’ll give you a little of my power.” He tilted his hand a bit, gesturing for her to take it if she agreed, that way he could begin the process of imbuing her with his emerald green aura.

“Healing and shield making,” she repeated in a small voice, thinking back to how he had saved her earlier. Those must have been the shields he was talking about. As for the healing, that’d prove to be useful too. With powers like these, she’d be able to protect Naa-chan, and anyone else she troubled day to day by her shy nature that prevented her from going through her life easily. She could heal people who got hurt, and the shields didn’t sound useless either. She didn’t know how she’d use them, but she’d be able to protect the people precious to her...that was the most important thing to her.

Of course, the offer to make jewelry also appealed to her. Her sister loved little accessories like that, and maybe Tenka could even get something made for herself. She’d think about it later. His offer was becoming more enticing with each word he spoke. This man had to have been a King, if he could offer her such a power. Would that make her his clansmen? She wasn’t even quite sure what a clansmen was supposed to do, but she could try. For the sake of her sister, who always had to look after her. With this power, maybe Tenka could take care of herself. It was kind of...exciting!

@jokerkakkoii

Afternoon naps were far from an uncommon occurrence for Tenka, so when her eyelids drooped and became heavy, she made no effort to combat her own sleepiness. She awoke with a small yawn, sitting up and rubbing her eyes in a carefree manner, still groggy from what had felt like an incredibly long nap. She was sure her long hair was just a bit out of place, but since she was home, it didn’t matter much, did it? As it had been the middle of the day, she was still in the oversized hoodie of the devil character she enjoyed so much, the pair of athletic shorts she was wearing peeking out from underneath the hoodie. 

Blinking a couple of times, she eventually came to the conclusion that she was not where she had believed she was. For one, her comfy bed was gone, replaced with a cold, hard ground. However, she still wasn’t in her room, or in any place that she recognized. The hall was spacious, but a few things stood out to her. For one, the entrance hall she was in was bathed in an eerie green hue, coming in from the windows. Was the sky that color as well? There was also a large staircase that seemed to lead up to...a giant clock? Despite the fact that it looked to be fairly dark outside (ignoring the fact that the sky was green), this area was very well lit. Perhaps the most interesting thing of all was the man wearing blue who shared the space with her. With his white hair and yellow eyes he certainly stood out, but even more so because of the outfit he wore. It was some kind of deep blue uniform that looked to be for an attendant of some kind, although she couldn’t tell what kind. Even so, the most odd thing about this stranger was...his movements.

The man in blue was moving in a strange manner. Although he mostly stayed in place, he made stiff and precise movements, swinging his arms around and clapping to an invisible rhythm. Was he...dancing? “Uu...w-where is- ah!”

Upon hearing her speak, the man clad in blue stopped his weird dance and offered a smile as he greeted her with a small bow. “Ah, I see that you two have awoken. It seems the ritual worked.” Although his voice was pleasant to listen to, Tenka couldn’t help but feel uneasy as her eyes darted beside her, only to see that there was someone else not far from where she was. So...it wasn’t just her? But it was some guy...she didn’t know if this made things better or worse. 

“U-um...you were dancing?” She asked timidly, only to flinch a bit as his own face lit up.

“So you noticed. My older sister told me that if I release my inner pathos in the form of dance, then I’d be able to convince guests such as yourselves to assist me.” He seemed rather proud of what he had called dancing, but Tenka couldn’t help but feel that this sister of his had lied to him. She once again flinched as he took a step towards the two, his hand placed over his chest. “Ah..I’ve failed to introduced myself. My name is Theodore, but please feel free to call me Theo. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“U-um..” Before she could ask any more questions (or curl up into a ball and reject the situation all together), and man spoke again.

“This place that you have been summoned to is called Tartarus. I’ve summoned the two of you here to assist me in a specific task...that is, I’d like you to travel up the tower and defeat the beast that dwells at the very top. The tower is infested with monsters, but even so I believe that people such as yourselves will be able to best it.” As he spoke he moved again, this time taking steps towards the large staircase that she had seen before. 

The man gestured towards the clock at the top before continuing. “You’ll find the entrance up there. Each floor has a set of stairs...as well as an access point, such as this one.” He stepped away from the stairs, and then gestured to a strange device that seemed to glow green, more vividly than the green sky outside. “Please use the stairs to ascend, and the access point to return here. If you find yourselves injured, I will do my best to assist you so long as you meet me in this area.” Theodore seemed confident in his own ability, but something about the whole thing worried Tenka even more. So...he couldn’t help unless they found an access point? What if they got knocked out and ended up stranded somehow?

“There is...something I should warn you of. One of the monsters that roams in the tower is not like the others...I shall simply refer to it as ‘death’. If you hear the sound of chains rattling, I implore you to run to either the access point or the next floor.” After his spiel, Theodore looked at the two with hope in his eyes, firmly believing that he had summoned the right people to deal with this kind of threat. “If anything at all is concerning you, please let me know so I may ease your fears.”

shyalstroemeria​:

Narihisago was having troubles remaining calm. He knew he shouldn’t have acted so rashly, but the alternative was worse to him. But now it seemed that he was the cause of the problems, which only upset him. In truth, he wouldn’t have minded being cut by the petals if it was only him being hurt by it, but it upset him because it wasn’t only him.

Was her ability usually emotionally activated? Or was it the odd happenings making his own control over her ability go haywire due to his own panic? It didn’t matter.

Narihisago listened to her and nodded once. Trying to calm down was the only option. Narihisago had been through a lot of situations that required him to stay calm, but once he had already given in to his emotions, it was harder for him to control them, but…

He closed his eyes and tried to breathe slowly, only interrupted by small pained hisses as the petals continued to nick him as they whizzed by.

Tenka was a little relieved to see he was trying to at least steady his breathing, but what could she do for him like this? She was never good at anything really, and besides, she was probably the least comforting person to be around in stressful situations. At least, she usually was. “When Tenka gets emotional they come out...so it’s probably the same for you,” she explained, unsure if her soft voice was even reaching him.

Maybe it was seeing him do his best to control her powers, but she didn’t feel as panicked as before. At least, not enough to accidentally add to his petal storm with her own.

shyalstroemeria​:

Help Wanted - OPEN

Geez, what a pain.. All this stuff that he had to go through in order to rescue her.. Of course he’d make her pay for that! Even if she hadn’t offered it wasn’t like he was some stand up guy. Well, he used to be. But now all that mattered was his survival and he wasn’t going to do anything for free. 

He was glad he didn’t have to coerce her into doing it. Even if she was a female like that one damned woman.. he wouldn’t have felt right about it given how skittish she appeared to be. Well, if she was offering maybe he didn’t have to pay her in the way he originally intended to start with. But it wasn’t like he could just employ her once and that was it. The point was to have someone continuously help him out. But now that he thought of it… she didn’t really make for a good saleswoman. She could barely even look him in the eye. 

Naofumi sighed and dug into his pocket then held out his palm so that she could see some of the accessories he managed to grab at once. There were earrings, necklaces, chokers, bracelets, and keychain’s. Some were resin, some had more intricate wire work, and some could pass for being sold at regular stores. There were a mix of different styles too. Things that were more feminine, girly, cute, or those that were plain and not as heavily decorated that most guys would like. 

“If I give you these do you think you’d be able to sell them?” He had to be sure since he wasn’t sure he could trust her to do so. “If you can we’ll call it even. Unless you want a more permanent position then I could offer you actual compensation, but like I said I can’t really pay you in money… At least not yet.” Anyways, he could probably try to explain that he wasn’t really some shady guy if his wares already weren’t any indication. 

“I make a living making these so I don’t have time to go out and sell them myself. That’s why I need people to go out and sell them for me.” Well, that wasn’t entirely the truth but it’d suffice for now. “If you think you’d be up to te task I can make you some as payment or I could share my power with you, but that’s about all I have to offer. If you can prove yourself as a good merchant then I can start paying up.”

He realized the sharing his power part was kind of vague but he didn’t want her to go running off and blabbing that he was a King. Not that he was sure anyone would believe her but those asshole officers and all that seemed to believe anything a girl fed to them these days. “So, what’ll it be?”

Tenka’s tense shoulders seemed to relax as Naofumi held out the jewelry to her. It was...cute? Had had stolen it? Ah no, he said that he made them...but other people had to sell them for him? So that was why he was approaching people on the street...though it wouldn’t it be faster and easier to look for job applicants online? Maybe he was some kind of criminal...though he wasn’t as scary as she initially thought, so maybe a non violent criminal?

“They’re pretty...” For once instead of cowering, she stood straight up with a gentle smile on her face, her eyes filled with admiration of his craftsmanship. Her sister would’ve loved something like this...not that Tenka didn’t, but Amana was so well versed when it came to what was stylish and what was not. Tenka on the other hand tended to shop more for comfort, but she couldn’t deny she liked cute clothing and accessories. Of course, the best would be earrings with Devitaro on them, but...wait, could he do something like that?!

It wasn’t as if she really needed much money while living with her parents, so compensation didn’t seem necessary for her. Besides, she had to do this for causing so much trouble. “Tenka...can do it,” she declared with a quiet determination bubbling within her. He didn’t seem to have a preference on how she went about selling them, so she could list them online or do something else that was easier on her anxiety. Though his mention of power was a little intriguing. 

Disruption At The Arcade || Subaru & Tenka

The ground erupted in front of Subaru, and thick vines burst from the ground, wound their tendrils around the man’s body, arms, and legs. His grip on the man’s ankle slackened and let go as the vines continued to climb into the air, carrying the man with them, heedless of his struggles. The tendrils constricted, squeezing the life out of that man’s body like a large, green snake.

Utterly taken aback by this phenomenon unfolding before him, Subaru could only watch in stunned silence. It wasn’t until the vines retreated back into the ground, depositing the limp form of that man in its wake that relief finally flooded over Subaru. He still did not fully understand what had happened, just that some asshole had attacked him out of nowhere, but that same asshole was now lying unconscious and was no longer a threat. More importantly, he needed to ensure the safety of the girl with him.

With that sole thought in his mind, he pushed against the ground and rolled so that he was lying on his back instead of his stomach and then set his palms downward and pushed his body upright into a sitting position. The back of his head pulsated and throbbed, spun nauseatingly with his movement. For a moment, as his stomach turned and sweat dripped from his forehead, he thought he was going to be sick again. He managed to suppress the urge, however, and turned his pallid face upwards, locked his gaze with Tenka’s. Although the harsh ringing in his ears roared on, it was beginning to subside enough that he could at least hear what she said.

“Tenka-tan…” There was no masking the relief he felt upon seeing her unharmed form. “I’m okay, thanks to uh…” His voice trailed off, and he looked to the ground, specifically to where the vines had emerged from the pavement. All that remained there now were the large splits in the ground and loose rubble that had been displaced by the vines, as well as of course the drunken man’s unconscious form. “Tenka-tan, if that was your power… that’s pretty amazing, you know?” To say the least, anyways. Any power that could so completely overwhelm and incapacitate an opponent like that was certainly one worthy of respect.

Not to mention… “And I really can’t thank you enough. You really saved me, you know! Well, not just me, from the looks of it…” Though he was definitely a veritable mess at the moment, if he could escape with nothing more than a head injury, he was willing to consider that a lucky turn in its own way. At least that much, he should be able to recover from it with a little time, and it wasn’t like he had any obligations to attend to anyways so he could just crash at home for the duration. “I’m pretty sure I owe you now. But… more importantly, are you okay?” Unharmed though she appeared to be, the tears rimming her eyes reflected… fear? Sadness? Whatever it was, it pulled on his heartstrings, and he wanted to do whatever he could to soothe her.

Her ability rarely got this out of hand...in fact, it had never done such a thing before. She hadn’t even considered the abilities to be offensive in any sort of the way as she typically focused on what she called a defense build, but today had shown her a completely new a terrifying possibility. Of course, in real life she wouldn’t be a cool DPS player, or even tank player protecting the team...no, she wouldn’t even be able to serve as support being as worthless as she was. That was the reason she couldn’t seem to understand how she had done such a thing with her ability...was she really this powerful? And if so, wasn’t that...far too dangerous? She couldn’t handle an ability like hers! What if she got someone killed?

Her worries about her own abilities were quickly tossed aside which Subaru began to stir, prompting her to crouch beside him rather than simply watch him from above. ““Y-you’re really alright? A-are you sure?” Had his head stopped bleeding already? He didn’t look quite fine, with his face lacking so much color, but he’d be alright...probably. “She doubted it was a good idea for him to get up just yet, but she didn’t really want to stick around and pay for the damage she had caused...even just looking at it was enough to make her want to hole up in her home forever, partially out of fear and partially out of embarrassment. If things kept on like this, she’d end up hurting someone for real...maybe after this she’d just stay at home for the rest of her life.