#rev1999.

@middleaxis

' maybe he's just feeling shy ... ? ' it's the first thought that comes to mind , though the niwa wouldn't have known whether or not it held any truth to it without click himself being someplace to confirm or deny . ghosts and phantoms were always difficult to get ahold of , it was sort of their thing --- ! but he isn't so worried over stuff like creepy haunts and vanishings as he was far more concerned for the absent specter's feelings .

' you don't think he's in trouble , do you ? ' trouble entailing anything from succumbing to gloom in isolation or outright avoiding the candlelight and celebratory song for one reason or another . was it strange to try to celebrate the birthday of a dead person's ghost ? daisuke doesn't even consider the inner philosophy of it . instead , he takes immediately to vertin's side , offering the small palms of his hands to volunteer at holding the plate .

@middleaxis // meme.

' ah , vertin ! it's nothing , really ... '

but that was a lie , wasn't it ? he can tell that vertin's worried , so he considers things over once more . it wasn't easy to weigh the decision of potentially putting even more pointless frets onto the timekeeper's plate against the idea that fanning out some more private thoughts would help to keep the air clear and amiable between them .

often , in between the gaps of every dire moment and the ringing chaos of their ventures , there was just enough time to make some peace . a quiet wherein the niwa's legs would quietly start to swing and his gaze would sink with the weight of otherwise distracted considerations . today's was this one : bittersweet and wistful .

' i was just thinking ... whenever i go back to azumano , everything i did here is going to feel like a dream . i keep hoping ... i have to believe there's a happy ending . not just for you , but for everyone --- only for me , that probably means going back home , right ? ' even he would have to somehow get on with his ordinary life ; the one that he had never imagined would turn out like this .

@middleaxis

' vertin ... ! ' if he said her name , would he be able to keep her ? it's a gasp ; relief that springs into exhilaration , the melt and retreat of dark's form as daisuke flings his arms around the timekeeper's smaller shoulders , clutching her tight . beneath the bliss of finally reuniting , all of his worst feelings consolidate into a thick lump , and it's one that lands heavy at the bottom of his throat and chest as the tears start to push from behind his eyes .

' i'm so glad ... i was so worried ! ' he can't quite bring himself to finish no matter how clearly the words had been ringing in his head , an endless clamor for hours and days accompanying the shrill white noise that had pierced through his skull after the sao paulo ship had burst . ' i'd thought ... '

a timid whisper . even then , he can't , he doesn't dare to say it : i thought you were dead .

or rather , he had grappled with the uncertain verdict and irrefutable dread over and over in his mind as he searched and searched . his mother's training and reflexes might have saved him from any initial blast , but he had hopelessly scoured the waters and chaos of the late scene to no avail . various forms of commotion , hearsay and helpful villagers had been the only guidance in the following days , yet even then , what was out of sight felt perpetually at peril ---

because it was vertin . st. pavlov's fearless captain who fret more over a lost hat than any lost breath or blood .

' it'll --- be okay . i don't think you should try to talk . ' his head turns , and as it does , he gradually transforms again with his usual nocturnal shift . dark's eyes narrow further than their natural cut as they take in the scene behind them . succubi , he had thought , should have had a reputation for the sly , the sultry , and the seductive --- not something like this , which was an outright slaughter .

the sight was macabre and tasteless , but the reasons for it ... were well deserved . when his head turns again , he only smiles somewhat bitterly at vertin , and , carefully plucking the timekeeper's troublesome accessory , dusting it off and fixing its shape a little , he hands it over gently to vertin herself . ' here . but unless your real , beating heart is hidden in it , i'd try to worry about other things more . '

the stretch of a wing curtains them away in the alley . he's not so sure that he wants to let vertin see . of course , were he asked to move then he would obey , and there was ms. kimberly herself who might have pushed away black feathers with her own red-green glistening scales and claws . whatever the case , vertin's live warmth still felt as faint-yet-precious as porcelain that had been left out in the sun , surrounded by the sharp , acrid stench of spilling blood and death .

But then a hand is placed on her shoulder, and she isn't too sure what is being said but she starts fading quickly. With just the slightest bit of comfort, she starts falling like a house of cards into the arms of the one who stirred her from her crazed writing state. She's tired....

(hi i missed you throws vertin at you)

@middleaxis

what could thieves solve when it came to correspondence and diplomacy ? the precious worries of the island have already shifted away from the likes of him and his ill fate , but the brunt of a sudden apocalypse has fallen onto vertin's shoulders heavier and faster than sisyphus turned atlas . the bombs drop , the earth quakes ; another end seems to come nigh , even for an untouchable island , and once again he watches as the pits beneath vertin's eyes sink and deepen , the timekeeper's skin paling as men and women debated to what very well may have been their utmost grim fates .

all this time , he hasn't been able to suggest otherwise . that even in the direst of circumstances vertin still should have allotted at least just a few minutes , even mere seconds , for a little rest . but he knew what the other's response would be : that there wasn't any time to waste , that the fires of something horrible were in full fan and force , and the pressures of it urged him , split his nerves and left his body and mind buzzing with a frantic helplessness , an enormous weight and self reproach : useless , useless , if only he could have done something , if only there was even one other person who could have taken over for vertin's unendurable role .

the body's demand for necessities refused to cease even during emergency . when was the last time she had eaten , drank something ? how long since she had last slept ? if his timid touch is a measure , then vertin's answer is a soundless far too long . daisuke gasps a little as the weight of vertin's figure collapses into his arms , but it eases a little as he lets his heart pound / his feelings swell , and his body readily transforms . at first , he can't help but indulge his relief : jealously , he curtains away the world with a black wing and clutches her in an embrace . the same delicate grasp that he had lent the night he sought to steal her away from that glassy hospital chamber , and she had felt so thin , so fragile , he had fret that all of her might crack or shatter right at the slightest touch .

In the middle of someone talking, she’s not sure who, she leaned her head onto the back of daisuke’s shoulder, putting her hand on the other. She stays like this with no words spoken, likely confusing her companions. She needed a second, just a second—

@puppetmuseum

this place has been no kinder to him , though he doesn't quite understand . it's the first time he's been figured out so quickly ; left with no form of self defense and utterly no one to convince . it's the first time he's been so readily damned , every rigid finger pointing and accusing at a perfect ninety degree angle . numerals and rationality reached beyond the gentle slopes and impressions of the boy's face , piercing his mind ; his heart , and sharply . one cast stone after another : they called him a devil , heathen , calamity , cataclysm , the death of all art ---

and was it true ? he couldn't bare to argue . dark too , despite every shared pain and desperate , indignant urge , had remained grim-silent within him . it was enough to escape the dungeons they had thrown their decried , so-called apocalypse into , a simple , albeit guilty trick for a phantom thief . sometimes , what couldn't be washed away or undone would simply be indulged in if only for better things' sake ... and vertin was out there somewhere , waging her own battles , braving still her own personal storms .

wanting to see her alone had been enough to keep him from sulking . through scant archipelago woods , taking fugitive shelter in setting-sun shadows , he had approached lilya the instant he had spotted her , mulling about the beach to take the sight of another bleeding afternoon in , drinking and toasting to nothing in that same careless , dare-devil way as always . c'est la vie , he's always thought at the sight of her . even when things turned dire , the witch would still find a reason to cackle and laugh , but it left behind the gentle , echoing shape of vertin's absence all that much more .

imagine his expression , then , when she returns . approaches from behind only as he's just stepped foot onto sands and inquired over her whereabouts , summoned up so suddenly like a ghost . his shoulder jumps the instant he feels her touch at it , and he nearly springs away , ready to sprint and bound towards safety like a hare . instead --- ' vertin ! ' wonder and relief . an immediate embrace , the small entirety of the boy's form throwing itself about her . thank goodness . arms clutch tight ; his head nestles into the crook of her neck , and when he finally retreats , he's already changed .

' are you okay --- ? ' the worried crease about his eyes pleads and implores . a frigid palm touches her cheek , and it's only now that he realizes vertin's subtle tremor and shake . ' you're not hurt anywhere ?! what happened ? ' between the folds of dark cloaks and clothing , he likewise catches glimpse of it ... ( damn , that's one ugly bracelet . ) a grotesque thing like that was more suited to being attached to a ball and chain , but the thought doesn't quell any of the brewing anxieties starting to boil in his mind .

' what did ... ' he stumbles clumsily into silence . thick brows settle heavy in their furrow . it was enough to witness vertin's exhaustion , the tug at his heart an immediate impulse --- without asking anything more , he takes the timekeeper up into his arms and jealously holds vertin close . ' no , nevermind . ' hush , hush . when he whispers , even the most brusque syllables turn to lyre-chord lullaby , sublime and divine . shadows drawn in a curtain by the shape of great black wings quietly hide vertin away . whether or not the worst had yet to come , he wanted to keep her like this --- kept in his arms and imperishable if only for a moment more .

' VERTIN ?! ' he nearly drops all his things in an instant . nearly blurts out what the heck are you doing in my house ?! too . meeting one another out and about or inside of the suitcase was one thing , but seeing anyone that wasn't his immediate family or a live artwork standing in the living room of his family mansion --- a-ah , no , it should have been okay because vertin was an arcanist , right ? she already knew all about him and things like magic ... !

still , what a surprise ! one thing if not another , first her appearance , then her literal appearance , a hand quick to cover the space of his chest , the boy's palm set timid over the building thrum of his heart . wonder quells some of the pounding thunder --- he's never seen her dressed anything even close to like this , but the pure white and cool blues made for a breathtaking ensemble . a stillness sweeps over him , and it's only after he comes to senses that he realizes --- hopelessly , he's transformed .

' ... mm , emiko's really outdone herself this time . ' ignoring the embarrassed , flustered sounds echoing inside of his head , happily humming to himself over the noisy din of it , the great phantom thief steps forwards in a practiced glide --- all to precede the touch of his frigid fingers at the timekeeper's chin . delicately , he tries to return the set of her gaze to him , his own eyes pinching fond and tender at the corners . ' what a wonderful present . is it really all for me ? '

he teases because he can't help it . funny to see someone else at last struck by the practiced hobby and impeccable taste of daisuke's mother , but though his lips split into their usual sharp and playful grin , not a single breath is wasted mocking or laughing at her , the deep crimsons of his eyes glimmering instead . a little bit of veracity would not hurt ; not when vertin and his very own host were both deigning to feel awkward and shy .

' you look exquisite . ' and then , ' visit as often as you like . no one in their right mind would ever deny the privilege of getting to see more of you . '

his touch retreats as gently as it had arrived , a glance given to her delivery . funny , was there ever a point in giving a group of thieves even more things ? it's the act alone that moves him ; that fills him with another equal , silent wonder . it's just a little too good , too kind for him . ( the bags look completely stuffed . do we really deserve something like this ... ? )

maybe , maybe not . what mattered was that vertin had delivered such things to them regardless . the palm of his hand reaches out to caress her cheek , and in this last act , the niwa nigh immediately returns to himself . his hand too is snatched back with a small yelp , digits clutching at his own wrist as if they had turned brief traitor to himself . ' uh --- sorry ! sorry , about him ... '

' b-but --- it's true , you know ? even i've always thought it was really embarrassing , but my mom does a good job ... i've gotta admit . i'm sure it makes her really happy too , so ... ' ( ah , just come out and say it already --- ! ) ' it ... it's really nice to see you , vertin ! it's more than alright , we'd be happy to have you over , any time ! '

HE'S RIGHT BEHIND ME .