一 moonless night ,

He continues to gaze at it before standing up, looking over at the turtles that were pointed out to him.

"A go?"

he takes a few steps forward, offering a small shrug of his shoulders.

"AND NOBODY ASKED FOR CEREAL!" Till slams the fridge door shut, narrowly missing Ivan's fingers. Ivan doesn't seem worried at all that he might get hit, and it's pissing Till off even more. He doesn't give a fuck if Ivan is hungry or not; he's lucky Till hasn't fed him a knuckle sandwich.

"You think I won't hit ya, huh?! Ya think I've gone soft livin' here?!" The problem is, Till must have gotten soft, because he doesn't actually want to hit Ivan. Which is just as well that Rei gets between them, forcing Till to backstep rapidly or brush up against him.

The fact that Rei has, in fact, not also been kidnapped is less comforting than Till thought it might be. Probably because he seems to be a willing accomplice instead. Now they're making plans to bail each other out?!

Till gives an explosive sigh, all the energy he woke up with suddenly gone as he collapses into a nearby chair. He drops his head to cradle his temples in his hands and bemoans his misfortune to be surrounded by this insanity, quietly aloud.

"Oh my god… My stuff is here too? Fuck…" Clearly, Till doesn't think this is very convenient.

"There's no way… you two actually think it's normal not to ask me first…? Am I crazy? I must be having, like… a stress-induced episode… This is insane. Absurd. Unbelievable... I still don't even know where I am..." He says it in a small voice, willing his heart to stop its anxiously fast pace.

"No episode here, just convenience and a new home. We're in the Ensemble Manor in the Black Fens," unfortunately, if it was not clear before, it was clear now that both Ivan and Rei were very aware of what was going on.

And Till's response was both not what he hoped for at all, and exactly what he delighted in. Maybe things were returning back to normal?

Placing his chin on Rei's shoulder while the not-vampire stands between them, he gives Till his best toothy smile.

"Well, it works out right? Now it won't be quiet, and nobody has to be lonely. I thought it would be a nice surprise!" There's nothing model-fake or idol-trained in words, seeming that he really did think it would be a nice surprise. "So when Rei asked if you'd like to live here, I said, yes! And then made sure you were brought here with the key." His explanation is delivered as though nothing were wrong at all, in only a way that someone with a terrible personality could.

"Thank you again, Rei, it was nice waking up in a new place~" Again, for people with a bad personality, maybe so, but for people who might be considered 'normal'-

❝ Fufu... of course, Ivan. And you as well, Till. ❞ though till hadn't exactly thanked him, he figures it was best the other knew he was alright with the other staying here and it wasn't just ivan going off on his own tangent. ❝ I'm not stranger to how swift the assigned housing here can change, so I had thought to ask Ivan about you as well while I invited him along. ❞

and, in some truth, he had thought ivan would ask till directly before anything, but that was apparently not the case. not that it bothers him now, the past already being done no matter how much one might wish to change something. so, he offers his smile again, taking a drink of his tomato juice before wiping at his lips with the back of his hand.

❝ Of course, you can move out if you wish. Though your luggage will have to be moved by you, as the key doesn't do returns. In fact, if we wished to move again leisurely, we'd require a whole other key~. ❞

"Uh, I mean… I have kinda have a hard time understanding people, so when they have multiple sides to 'em, that makes it harder for me, y'know? But I… I guess there's this… theory of art that says nothing is an original idea, it's all just different interpretations of our lives and shared experiences. I dunno if I agree with it completely, but it's interestin' to think that different opinions are at the root of what makes us special. O-or… s-something like that… A-anyways, we really should be movin' faster than this…" Till's voice fades out as heat crawls up his neck to his ears. He's not sure why he's turning red, it could be he's embarrassed to have gone off on a small rant about art theory, it could be the prickly familiar feeling of red eyes on him, or it could be the way this guy is rocking earrings and longer hair in a way that Till could never hope to.

"I dunno, really. Usually, I get beaten senseless or sedated before I get to this point." Till says blandly with the slightly dour tone of someone remarking on sub-optimal weather. "I'm Till. Just Till." He hopes the prompt answers will get Rei to move faster because they really will get caught at this pace…

"…Wait. Why am I the antagonist?! If anything, he's antagonizin' me!" Till spins around to face Rei (and maybe to see what the hell is taking him so long) and his expression quickly morphs from irritation to concern.

though that smile fades ever so slightly at how he speaks of being beaten senseless. not to mention the way he says it 一 was this really something of the norm for him? ❝ Oh? That isn't happening here, is it? ❞ maybe he shouldn't pry. after all, it was none of his business, nor should he get involved. and yet, the want to help runs deep in his veins no matter how hard he feigns how weak and worthless he is to avoid such responsibilities.

still, the heat of the sun continues to drain him, a few beads of sweat rolling down his cheek as he moves to wipe it. even the yelling hardly phases him into making some hapless remark, exhaling just a little to get a bit of fresh air. ❝ Creatures of the night... struggle quite a bit in the realm of light, ❞ he speaks, as if it were some ominous telling, especially now that the sound of sirens seems to be closer. rei turns his gaze over his shoulder, taking a moment to assess the situation, before noting a small alleyway shrouded in darkness. ❝ This way... ! ❞ a hand takes hold of till's wrist weakly, tugging him into the crevice and making sure they have enough room as he presses his back up against the cool wall.

at least this will buy them more time for all that he has wasted until now一

"I don't want any of your shitty cooking," Till growls, stomping into the kitchen with clenched fists and hackles raised. "I want to know why the fuck I woke up here! And where the fuck is here?! And how the fuck did I get here?!"

When Rei speaks, Till notices him sitting there for the first time and turns to the other dark-haired, red-eyed man (Why are there more of them? Where are they coming from? Are they here to torture Till specifically?) with wide-eyed surprise.

"Oh… Hey, Rei…"

Till stares at Rei, blinking a few times, and clearly processing this new information before coming to -- what is in his mind -- the only logical conclusion. He turn back to Ivan, lighting up with anger again like flipping on a switch.

"HIM TOO?! What is WRONG with you?! You can't just DO shit like this! You're going to get arrested! You're gonna make Mizi and Sua cry, and I'm gonna have a heart attack! I-- You--" Till runs out of words to voice his frustration, gritting his teeth and seething silently. He had promised himself he would stop getting into so many fights, but setting Ivan straight when he's crossed a line is Till's right-- nay, his god-given duty.

Till approaches Ivan, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"Don't worry, Rei. I got this."

Between Rei's sleepiness yet willingness for the morning drama and Till's aggression, Ivan can't help the smile on his face. A cute morning, great for him. He's not even forcing the smile, given how half-captive audience.

You know, someone with a terrible personality.

"It's okay, it's just cereal. I don't want the kitchen to smell too bad yet. Oh, right, milk," setting the juice on the counter, he's rounded on before he can grab the milk. "It's a function of this place. When you buy a new house, you get to pick some roommates. Rei invited me," he waves across the kitchen as he's about to get punched in the face, "And you said you were lonely, living by yourself, so I figured it would be perfect. Thank you for letting us live here, Rei."

Ivan explains this as though it's simple. Matter-of-fact, really.

Again, the way someone with a terrible personality could.

"I'll text Mizi and Sua, promise. And if I get arrested, either one of you could bail me out. It's easy." And with the casual nature of a man with a terrible personality, he goes to reach over Till to grab the milk from the fridge...

honestly, it was a bit of both of their faults, and yet一

❝ Kufu. I have enough Dust to easily bail both of you out several times if needed~. ❞ right, as if that was the issue here.

placing his phone to the side, he stands up, arms reaching up as he lets out a hearty laugh. ❝ Welcome in to the manor! They are thorough here, so your belongings have all been brought along as well. Isn't such a mysterious key convenient in the end? ❞ and with that, he moves between the two, taking the tomato juice that ivan pulled out for him and grabbing a glass to pour it into.

was it intentional to position himself between the two as if it here some sort of deterrent? perhaps, though he wasn't going to let on that much, even if he, too, was risking becoming collateral damage.

this might as well happen to her.

he finally stands up, dusting himself off a little before shading his gaze from the sun.

❝ A moving service? Kufu. Had I done so, would they also not be out in this atrocious heat? ❞ he's going to say this instead of admitting he hadn't exactly thought that they would be willing to move, well, a coffin. ❝ But I appreciate the concern. I'm fine~. Er... will be fine once I return this to my room after it got its upgrades. Would you care to see? ❞ time was of the essence, rei, and the heat? well, it wasn't going to die down anytime soon.

Till's eyes pop open, and he… doesn't recognize anything. Honestly, he's started to get really tired of waking up in unfamiliar places. Panic bubbles up in his chest as he jolts upright and reaches for his throat… but he's not collared or restrained in any way, and nothing hurts worse than usual.

Panic turns to relief, and then quickly to anger as his emotions roll through him -- because Till is pretty sure he knows who is responsible for this. His furious shout is loud enough to wake the entire house and their neighbors too.

"IVAN!!"

Still, it's nice. It's quiet. And he takes his time getting out of bed. He's making himself some coffee and deciding what to cook, when he hears a familiar shout. Since he's angry and not concerned, at least he seems to have figured it out.

"I'm in the kitchen!" He calls in turn. Rei might wake up, but then again, he likely only just decided to go to sleep. He'll either be deep in the throes of slumber, or he'll have just settled in. Just in case, he moved to close the shades, before realizing he didn't really have to. sunrise in the Black Fens had already passed, which meant it would be dark until the end of the day.

Whoever arrives first simply gets greeted with a grin.

"Want some breakfast? Coffee?"

slippers scrape against the floor as he makes his way through the house in his pajamas, finally making it to the kitchen. ❝ No. But tomato juice sounds just as well, ❞ he'll request, figuring coffee might not be the best, let alone a hearty dinner before he possibly might return back to bed.

that was if whatever was going on was settled beforehand一

❝ Did something happen? ❞ tired eyes trail from ivan to another entryway, taking note of a figure in its shadow. ❝ Oho? ♪ A gathering on this fine morning. What could be the occasion? ❞ if rei wasn't aware of what was going on, his sleepy expression as he goes to sit at the kitchen island doesn't betray him in the slightest as his gaze remains on till.

It was...Beautiful. He had lived here a while, seen the beach, but never went to any of it. And here, at Sunset Circuit, the way the colors in the sky played with Moon Beach, he felt like he was standing in the sky and looking down.

He wondered, briefly, if he should explains the scars across his body that he covered up. Through-and-through and clearly fatal. Instead he wonders if Rei already knows.

He's not sure.

"I didn't think the sea could ever look like this."

SPIRALFES 2025 -> LUMINESCENT NIGHTS

whether or not topics should be broached, he lets himself focus on the situation at hand. for now, at least. perhaps some day ivan would reveal what he kept secret within, whether or not he was the first to bring it up first or otherwise. he wonders, however, if ivan will ever tell him were he to leave it well alone, curious gaze lingering from the corner of his eyes at the other before returning back to the ocean.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀perhaps only time would tell一