#03 ic

The yokai let out an embarrassing yelp at the appearance of the strange... stranger. He almost toppled backwards from the outburst, loud and performative. Spamton could've been playing any role he wanted -- unbeknownst to Usapyon, this was all he knew -- and the otter would've still been taken aback. What an interesting way to greet someone. By interesting, he of course meant very rude!

"What the-- what the hell?! How are you speaking in numbers?!" Usapyon's hands balled up as he followed up by grinding his teeth. He wanted to pull his helmet's ears over the complete absurdity of it all. Didn't he just come out of a dumpster?! Was he dumpster diving?! Gah, so many things were running through his head that he could hardly follow just one of them. Cyber City had a lot of interesting people in it. While his time in New Yokai City was short, he could take as ever long as he wanted to here. There were no worlds that were at the brink of no return -- there also wasn't Hailey Anne dragging him around to all the spots she wanted to see in their downtime. As a whole, this solo trip to the neon-lit city was doing him right. Usapyon fixed on the salesman's face once he went on his routine spiel. Pink and yellow glasses, what a pretty color combination. What didn't make them pretty was the shady man speaking to him in cryptic characters. Was that him he was smelling? Ew.

... What. What?! Usapyon stared at the poor kid for a good minute, so entirely beyond himself that he was surprised the words came out of his mouth. What. Did he...? He surely didn't know. But he was so much different compared to the rest of the monsters in the Underground. Maybe everything didn't point fingers to him being completely dead, but... He looked pretty dead, if you asked him! He had his whispy tail for a reason! Then again, what was Asriel's deal? Usapyon hadn't seen him around the Underground from what he could see. The region seemed relatively tight-knitted, but the otter supposed someone of his size might be able to slip past. Though that begged the question... weren't these two the same height? Usapyon did not like referring to himself as small, but he thought it was relevant to the minute he spent staring and pondering. He must've looked weird. Yes, it was an entire minute. During that minute, he got a good look at Asriel. He came to the conclusion that something wasn't all that right with his figure. Something about it was fuzzy, hazy, and he didn't have a shadow. Didn't that make Asriel a ghost? He knew ghost physics worked much, much differently than they did at home, but this was kind of ridiculous? Hasn't he heard of "it takes one to know one?"

"This has gotta be some sorta joke. Can't you see-- Don't you-- haha, yeah! This is just you teasing. You would never ask if you already-- oh wait, you're serious. Dead serious, dead serious like a..." Usapyon's face fell.

she pounces, clinging on as she bunny kicks && nips. good thing there's his suit for extra protection.

Haha, was it just him, or was he in danger? Usapyon was entirely unsuspecting of Poochie's pounce, not even knowing they were crawling behind him. He was too absorbed in his Yokai Pad, scrolling through it to find some more odd jobs for him and Hailey Anne to do that day. He was about to reply to one of them -- Koalanyan? What'd that fella want this time? -- before Poochie's entire body sprang on him.

"HEY HEY HEY! Get off, fiend!!" Quickly he put his Yokai Pad away to deal with the critter at hand. Usapyon shoved whatever entity was on top of him with his entire body. He squealed and ran around, trying to get her to fall off. When he finally managed to pull Poochie off himself, he looked down at her in exasperation. Then, anger. "Of course it was you! How many times do I outta tell you about personal space?!" He stopped his foot rapidly and furiously against the ground. "It was about time I taught you a lesson, dani!!" Usapyon moved his thumbs to the bottom of his helmet, pressing two of the buttons on each side. His helmet fogged up, a piercing red gaze coming from the other side of the glass.

VADER MODE.

Woah, woah, woah, hey!! The shady yokai's eyes sealed shut at the boop and the close attention, face contorting into unease. Just who was this?! They surely weren't anybody he's come across before. What gives...!

"Wait a minute!! Don't you have any regard for an otter's space, dani?!?!" Usapyon screeched quietly, more pathetic and surprised than significant discomfort. The ears did nothing in return to Poochie's poke, given there were no nerve endings, given there was nothing there... As he says, he is an otter. Usapyon politely (or as politely as he could) pushed Poochie away from him, dusting off the ears at the top of his helmet. He had a strange glimmer in his eyes as he patted them, unsure of his own actions. He didn't necessarily have to do that -- they couldn't be maneuvered out of place -- but it made him feel better about it anyways. The otter took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Ehe, sorry about that. You just... don't do that next time, alright?" It was simple, straightforward, and while some tension was there, it wasn't anything significant. Though if Poochie attempted to touch the top of his head further... well, he most certainly shy away from pressing two little buttons right next to the makeshift rabbit ears. And a space... mascot? He wasn't sure if he should be honored or offended. At least it held some resemblance somewhere, but he was much more than a cute and cuddly face of space!

It was an interesting endeavor. Usapyon had only spent a little bit of time in TV World, watching Tenna's latest performance from the sidelines, yet the television himself seemed to prioritize him! The otter was aware it would take Tenna by surprise, as it did with many of the folks he'd come across, but never like this! This guy's face was plastered everywhere he walked! Usapyon's own pride swelled; was he going to end up getting golden statues next?! ... Well, what seemed so simple started rattling around in Usapyon's mind. He held a hand to his chin, wondering which way to go about this. He had been to space before no question, but it was by no usual means. He was meant to go into space before then too, but... The yokai didn't let it shake him. If all of television got so up and personal like this, desperate for an answer, who was he to deny him? Tenna's confetti stars sprinkled behind him as he struck a pose.

"Not to the moon, but let me tell you, I was pretty close! Would you believe it, me and a band of misfits were all up in a spaceship! A big baddie threatened the whole world and, well, we weren't gonna stand there and let it happen! We like our human friends, and we like our home!" That was the truth, and his claim earlier hadn't been a complete lie. He was trained, perhaps even born to fly amongst the shooting stars and all the debris that surrounded the Earth. So it didn't go the way he'd planned it, he still made it! And he got to be a big hero out of it, too! If that wasn't newsworthy, well, just start calling him a rabbit (don't do this)! But Tenna seemed to be the sort who had a far deeper interest in the outer reaches of space than the common stargazer. Usapyon was at least an astronomer, and that was 100% factual! If there was anything up there that Tenna would want to talk more about, he'd come to the right yokai. So lets talk stars.

A sudden, loud thump caught the yokai's attention. He twisted his head to look at the boot, eyes widening, only for all his features to contort in anxious surprise. Granted he'd seen plenty of bigger beings in his time -- there were definitely yokai who scaled ten times over his size -- but it always sent a shock of uncertainty through him. Nobody could know the thoughts behind someones eyes, especially those bright greens. Yokai he was not. Regardless of his feelings, Usapyon was forced to take a few steps back to see Asmodeus in all his neon glory. He blinked, needing to in order to drink his appearance in, or he'd surely blind himself. The ruler was something like a star, but his spark came from more... intimate affairs. Just like all the other demons here. There was something powerful about him, different. Usapyon didn't know what to think of Asmodeus, but perhaps he would be the one to help him in his time of need. If he'd be willing to assist someone he'd most likely consider a rodent. Asmodeus's words, too... The otter couldn't blame him for assuming he was the typical patron. It sent a shiver down his spine anyways, stunned from this salacious misunderstanding.