#efloresce

"  𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞,  "  he  echoes  in  the  incipient  breath  of  derisive  humor,  a  laugh  half  formed.  his  teeth  bare  under  lips  curling  back  into  a  grin.  sukuna's  head  tilts  as  he  regards  her,  all  four  eyes  scraping  from  crown  to  the  grass  just  pressed  underneath  her  feet.  a  meager  thing.  it  would  take  nothing,  an  intention  given  form,  to  overtake  her.  if  only.

fate  is  an  insult,  a  balm  for  the  weak  to  justify  their  existence,  their  suffering.

his  tongue  lifts  from  its  bed  and  drags  across  the  back  of  his  lower  teeth,  skimming  his  lower  lip  with  a  thin  sheen.

      ❝       stop squirming!       ❞       a hand is placed on his jaw,   holding his head still as she attempts to put on the face mask sheet on his face.     hers is already resting against her skin,   put on the split of a second as if it's second nature   (   and it might as well be,   at this point   ).     and of course,   as his sister,   hana wouldn't let raphael out of the fun,   pulling from the package a second mask,   a matching set with colorful patterns.       ❝       come on,   the fastest you put it on the fastest you can take it off.     not before we take pictures,   though!       ❞

        ❛❛   I said                 no               Hana                ❜❜       the scientist grumbles,   putting a mighty effort into tearing himself away from her hold.   Soft and dainty as she seemed,   she would prove to have a surprising amount of strength when she puts her mind to it,   perhaps it was all those years of practically wrestling her siblings                 and now him by default.   But unlike how it is with her and Atsushi,   he never initiates fights,   the moment he's within her vicinity,   the need to start a beating possesses her like a demon   ...   he still wonders if this is ordinary sibling behavior,   but what would he know ?

   He pulls away again,   successfully freeing himself from her vice grip for a split second,   but she grabs him again,   weaseling her way through his pushing and pulling.   Another grumble,   irritation dripping from a usually gentle tone,   hadn't been enough that he lets her invade his apartment ?   She has to drag him into her beauty routine now ?        ❛❛   I don't need a mask                ❜❜       Raphael complains,   a hint of panic in his voice now as she mentions pictures,   this is a form of cruelty that needs to be studied !   After much struggle,   he manages a firm hold on her wrists,   but no matter how much he pulls she would squeeze at his face even harder.     ❛❛   This is ridiculous,   let go !   ❜❜

@efloresce // EVERYDAY HE SUFFERS

@efloresce

come back of zarina's atrocious drawing skills 2k23. ( 6/7 )

𝐡𝐞'𝐬  𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝,  or  so  it  appears.  and  it  does  ..  appear  so.  it's  almost  too  much  and  yet,  not  enough.  the  shrine,  set  somewhere  remote  ringed  by  thick  trees  and  fresh,  sharp  pine,  would  be  considered  tranquil  if  not  for  him.  sukuna,  the  centerpiece  of  the  shrine  coiled  in  chains,  iron  cuffs  clamped  over  each  wrist  and  both  ankles.  ropes  twined  with  something  sacred  constrict  him  from  limb  to  torso,  clasping  his  arms  to  his  body.  like  a  spiderweb,  the  links  lead  from  restraints  to  the  entirety  of  the  shrine,  dripping  with  talismans  in  constant  flutter-  upset  by  the  winds  of  his  malevolent  energy.  the  air  beats  with  an  unnatural  pulse,  heavy,  suffocating.

       ❛❛   Uh   ...   no ?   Who would                 ❜❜        He squints,   thinking long and hard of the question,   he doesn't recall such a thing,   kids certainly had strange habits but this wasn't one of them,   as far as he knows,   he was an ordinary,   and rather boring child   ...

      ❛❛   Did you ?   Hana                ❜❜

      she places a branch of baby's breath behind his ear,     artificial as the barren soil of xion could not support a life form such as it.     still,     she smiles,     a rare moment of gentle quietude,     as she admires her work.

      This kind of close proximity isn't quite favored by him,   an intrusion that was hardly a disturbance at the moment,   too focused on his current task to take note of her approach,   a little less alert around her as he had grown accustomed to her presence.   Inconsistent and avoidant as she was,   even if she had nowhere to go besides the ruined city,   she was always away before any more secrets could be spilled between them.   An attentiveness the two possessed that made a single conversation like a game of chance.   Still,   there was a certain sense of ease to it,   a kind of mute understanding that made it effortless to simply be there when desired.

   The gesture only registers in right towards the end,   her goal accomplished and she stands there with a proud smile upon her expression.        ❛❛   What ?   ❜❜        he inquires,   confusion lacing dull features.   A gloved hand reaches up to inspect whatever she tucked into his hair,   fingertips carefully tracing over the artificial vine as though it was as fragile as the real thing.        ❛❛   Oh   ...   uh   ...   thank you.   ❜❜        He says,   now realizing what he was touching   ...   it's hardly an accurate guess,   but he can assume it had to do with Hana and her love for flowers.   A sheepish smile tugs at lips,   [   a little awkward in a more casual setting   ],   he's touched by the act regardless,   a kindness in her he always knew to have existed   &.   is rather warmed to see it.   He leans back in his chair,   arms crossing against chest as he gives her a look over,   the rare amber tint in darker hues more apparent as gaze softens into something tender.        ❛❛   So,   are you going to tell me what this one means or is it up for interpretation ?   ❜❜

@efloresce // THE NERVE !!!!!

      ❝ can you please stop giving el the cold shoulder? i was the one that dropped the paints, okay? give me the scrapper, i'll clean the mess, and you two can go back to being love birds. ❞ she's not looking at him when the words leave her mouth, but she is the most sincere she can be in the moment.

     It wasn't only El,   it was the two of them,   although El was an accomplice by accident,   in her way to patch things up she had coupled herself with what would follow now.   He's not mad at her,   anger was an emotion most difficult to bring out of him,   he's simply annoyed,   it's about principle,   she stood with Hana and now that their actions had an unhappy result they were mad at him in turn,   he'll give his sorry in time,   but now they needed to have their own medicine fed to them while he works on removing all that paint not only on the surface but within the gears and the thrusters it dripped into.   If the prank was on him he would let it slide,   but the Tetrapod was all he had left,   the only thing he put real work into when deserted any want to invent as he always did in the past.   He lets out a breath,   seeing that she was speaking from the heart,   his hand rests at her shoulder so she may look towards him,   and without a word he spins her in the opposite direction so she can go about her way,   if she wants to give a hand she would let him do this by himself   ...   and maybe he wanted to annoy her a little more.

@efloresce // you don't go next to the ship in the next hundred years ...

      jump,   sender jumps onto receiver's back.   //   piggyback piggyback piggyback

      Shoulders stiffen upon impact,   the broken part within his grasp nearly crushed if he hadn't caught himself from exerting too much force by accident,   not oblivious to the aggressor but greatly unappreciative of the gesture,   an intrusion of personal space far more closer than he would've liked,   he wore gloves and high collars for a reason,   he would hate for her to see something she shouldn't have.   He wears his discomfort well however,   the known rigidity of his figure had been a trait of character that hadn't changed much the more he grew familiar with her.   Even with her strength and speed she had only managed to force him to inch forward just a tad,   still planted to the ground like an unmoving boulder.   Eyes would subtly scan over the covering over his neck as to ensure she hadn't pulled on too much as she clung to him,   his gaze settled on Hana then with an exasperated glare he doesn't bother to conceal.

        ❛❛   You have two functioning legs of your own,   use them.   ❜❜        the scavenger mutters,   maintaining a dull glare,   just because he flies her around with the Tetrapod sometimes didn't mean he's her designated driver.   She doesn't seem to think so,   or rather,   doesn't want to make the effort if she can coarse him into getting what she wants,   how did her siblings tolerate her is matter of mystery to him.   After almost a full minute of quiet defiance,   [   annoyance versus the biggest puppy eyes known to man   ],   he breaks away with an eye roll,   a heavy sigh to follow,   weighed by the weariness of someone exhausted to the bone,   only affirming her accusations that he was an old man   ...   good thing she doesn't know his real age,   it would be a nightmare.        ❛❛   Alright,    fine   ...   ❜❜        he relents.   It would be the rational thing to agree and be rid of her as soon as possible,   but it didn't mean he liked it.   He sets what he was working on atop the work table and secures a good hold on her so she doesn't slip.        ❛❛   Where to ?   ❜❜

@efloresce // this is senior citizen abuse