#memeday

Rue's smile did not disappear, but it twisted ever so slightly. The woman who had been leaning against the doorway with practiced ease straightened slowly, the playful glimmer leaving her dark irises as Nell's words settled between them. She could lie to pirates, gamblers and half the island without losing sleep, but she knew with this woman opposite her it was different. Nell had built part of her existence around knowing what people hid, even assisted them with it.

"Then you already know better than to ask me to drop it," Rue said softly, her voice almost sweet enough to be mistaken for affection. She stepped closer, close enough that the scent of her jasmine perfume mingled with the iron and sweat drifting from the fighting pit. "What you call an act, is what keeps people comfortable. It keeps them from asking the wrong questions." Rue paused, her gaze unwavering as she studied the other woman. "And perhaps it keeps me comfortable too. So tell me, Nell..." Her smile returned, razor-thin. "If you see right through it, what exactly do you intend to do with what you might find?"

Different Ways to Hug Someone (not accepting!)

To say that Till has been making an effort to be more affectionate recently would be to wrongfully imply that it was an effort for him. Really, Till likes being affectionate towards Ivan. He likes Ivan’s cute reactions, and he likes that he feels his loving energy, which previously had nowhere to go - which he had eventually poured into Mizi - finally has a worthy vessel to flow into.

And, of course, it seems to make Ivan happy.

Ivan had always been physically affectionate with the people he was close to, and Till most of all. Till had never minded it, even liked it, but usually it had been a prelude to Ivan stealing something right out of his hands or sticking his finger in Till’s ear. Recently Ivan has been a lot more… gentle.

Oh, he was still prone to riling Till up. To starting fights seemingly for no other reason than to see how Till reacts… But Till kind of likes that too in a way. A brief distraction from his own mind and a recentering of his world back to what’s most important to him. Even still, those moments were fewer and farther between.

So when Till feels the familiar sensation of Ivan sidling up next to him, hooking his chin over his shoulder to see what Till is sketching, combined with the newer feeling of Ivan threading his arms around Till’s waist, instead of kicking up a fuss like Till might have done in the past, Till simply looks up to meet Ivan’s eyes, soft and trusting.

He takes a minute to examine at Ivan’s expression, gauging to see if Ivan wants more attention than this, or if he simply wants to watch Till draw like he’s been doing since they were kids.

After a moment, Till turns back around, shifting so that his back lies more firmly against Ivan’s chest, using him as a pillow. He tucks his head into the hollow of Ivan’s neck, so Ivan can see what he sees, and repositions Ivan’s hands just so around him so that Till can prop up his sketchbook on Ivan’s arms.

Without saying anything, Till continues to sketch the birds he’d seen around the city earlier that day, but if Ivan continues being good, he’ll ask Ivan what he should draw next.

Different Ways to Hug Someone (accepting!)

“Hey… W-whatcha up to… Tenna…?”

The television may not have a true face, but Till knows well the aura of someone approaching him to (affectionately) tease him. But he doesn’t have much time to react before Tenna picks him up off his feet and spins him around.

Till instantly goes from flailing his arms to clinging onto Tenna’s lapels a few feet off the ground.

“AAAHH!! DON’T DROP ME!!”

After a few rotations, Till is set gently back on the ground, a little dizzy. He tries not to glare up at Tenna, but his expression is sullen, if a bit flustered.

“S-sorry… I… I don’t think I like that one very much…”

Maybe it’s no surprise… He never did like when the aliens would pick him up. It made him feel small and weak. Helpless.

For Muses That Are Getting to Know Each Other (accepting!)

The Boardwalk is almost eerily empty, and there’s no one nearby to ask for directions. Till squints at what’s supposed to be an artistic rendering of the park, trying to make out the blurry shapes.

Who let him have the map?!

“Yup… It’s official…"

"I can’t read this.”

Looking up, Till sees a tall shape looming up ahead of them and has an idea. He points to the roller coaster.

“D’ya think we could see where we are from the top of that?”

Different Ways to Hug Someone (accepting!)

“Hm…? Namine?” Till questions, dropping a soft hand onto her head. “What’s up?”

Till wouldn’t know the term ‘touch-starved’ or what it means, but what he does know is that the way Namine hugs him is so gentle — so careful with Till in a way people are rarely ever careful with him.

Usually, Till’s skin prickles upon contact with another person, but the teen hugs him so softly that he doesn’t feel a bit of discomfort. It pulls at something inside his chest, filling him with warmth.

After a while, he adjusts, sinking into the hug and pulling Namine into a snug embrace, resting his chin on her head.

Inexplicably, tears overflow from his eyes, catching on his long lashes before dropping onto Namine’s hair.

“S-sorry… Don’t worry… This just happens s-sometimes…” But Till is still smiling. He laughs softly, swaying back and forth with Namine as he holds her.

For Muses That Are Getting to Know Each Other (accepting!)

“Y’know… I really do.”

“I didn’t know it was possible ta be this content. This… happy.

“But my understanding is that’s not a common sentiment here. I get that not everyone is as lucky as I am, ta have everyone ya love here with ‘em, and that makes me sad.

“Some people even miss their old worlds themselves. And I guess... that one is harder for me ta understand. Imagine... coming from somewhere so nice ya miss being there.

"I only wish I could bring all the humans from my old world here. Sometimes… sometimes I feel guilty. Why should I get ta be so happy, and they still have ta suffer? It’s not right…”

Different Ways to Hug Someone (accepting!)

Between the flower-pink hair and the way they seem comfortable getting close to him, Till thinks the person hugging him is Mizi at first, but the blush across his face only deepens when he realizes that he does not, in fact, recognize this person.

“Um… H-hi… D-do I… know y-you…?”

If there’s one thing Till isn’t expecting, it’s a second hug.

His eyes widen, as round and as wide as saucers; he stands there stiffly, almost as if he’s afraid to move. The redness on his face spreads up to the tips of his ears and down his neck.

“Uh… W-what… Ah… Um…”

Till is already overwhelmed by the time she gives him a third hug. Standing there trembling and red all over, he seems totally helpless and at a complete loss for words.

“H… h-he… lp-p...” The weak sounds that manage to escape him might generously be considered a cry for help.

For Muses That Are Getting to Know Each Other (accepting!)

“Eh. I’m not picky. I’ll eat pretty much anything anyone leaves out or doesn’t want anymore.”

“But my favorites those spicy rolled tortilla chips. The really spicy ones are good, but they make my eyes water, so sometimes I’ll eat ‘em with vanilla ice cream ‘cause then I can eat a lot more at once.”