fishingforcompliments | [not again] catchall for chuuya

[good morning, chuuya!!

i've made too many "or at least that's what flayn would say if memshares weren't happening" jokes, but honestly? it's true. she comes across him on her way to the mess hall to figure out breakfast, and upon making eye contact, before she can get so much of a word out--

well, he's treated to a two-minute memory of her getting distracted because she's hungry.

which, you know what? now she wants fried foods again. dang it.]

[You know, that's fair. Flayn is a friendly one, so hearing 'good morning' from her never really feels fake or anything. Chuuya had been about to nod to her in greeting too, but then. That memory.

And he just. Stares at Flayn.]

Fried food? Really?

[They had the same thing happen at Blue's mansion, so memory sharing isn't unexpected for him. So he's just going right to commenting on the content.]

[Well.]

...I-I cannot help it! It is delicious!

[Her stomach growls. She could use some fried food right about now. Pastries...]

Well hopefully they have something fried in there for you, the best I can do is pancakes.

[He'll stand up to follow after her. Let's see if she can get the food she wants.]

Oh, pancakes are delicious...! I learned to make a sauce for them, recently...

[inb4 their breakfast is interrupted by a memory from Chuuya]

A sauce?

[Time for a really really stupid memory, yes. It's this sleepover the but threads involving Chuuya are the important ones.]

Yes, with caramel—

[oh

monster week! huh. flayn pauses.]

...the unblinking eyes were a little unsettling.

Yeah, they really were.

[Honestly he's just relieved that he didn't get doxxed further.]

That week was dumb. We all turned into monsters. I'm pretty sure I was a tengu, but I couldn't even fly.

...

[um.]

A tengu...? I apologize, but we do not have such creatures where I come from - so I am not quite sure what you mean...

It's a beast of legend, I guess? Like...

[He does not know what legends exist in Flayn's world.]

...they're not real, but like, people write stories about them. Myths, kinda. Tengu walk upright like a man, but they have the features like I had in that memory: the feet, the wings, the tail, and sometimes they even have a bird head too. Usually they carry swords and are fierce fighters too.

They're a kind of yokai, which is like...kind of like demons, I guess? But yokai aren't always evil like demons are. Sometimes they're tricksters. Or like with tengu, they're not really good or bad and just like to fight.

I see...

["Not really good or bad and just like to fight" - now who does that remind her of? Flayn, perhaps wisely, does not say that out loud.]

How fascinating! Do you know many of the stories that have been written about them, Chuuya?

[Let's just say there's a reason why he ended up as a tengu lol]

I know some? Like, they're bedtime stories and stuff. I'm no expert, but I grew up hearing them just like any other kid.

Why? You want to know more?

Yes, I would love to!

Well alright.

First off, there's two similar ones: the tanuki, and the kitsune. Both of them are shape-shifting animals that can make themselves look like anything they want, even humans. There's two main differences between them. First off, a tanuki is a tanuki, obviously. And a kitsune is a fox. But the other difference is in their intent. Tanuki usually like pranks that are mostly-harmless, so coming across one isn't too dangerous. A kitsune, on the other hand, can be very dangerous. They're very moody, and sometimes they eat people.

[

she doesn't knOW WHAT A TANUKI IS, CHUUYA. but she'll listen patiently as he explains.]

They... eat people? But why? [...] There are quite a lot of creatures that eat humans... but I cannot imagine that they are very tasty. Why eat a person when you could eat a delicious fish, instead?

I dunno, they never really explained that part. Maybe it's because most animals would eat humans, if given the chance? But I bet they eat fish too, yeah.

What sorts of forms do they take most often, since they can shape-shift?

Humans, I think? To like, go live among them and trick them and stuff.

Is there any particular sort of human form they take? That is... is there some way to identify them for what they are, or are they indistinguishable from humans until they begin tricking them?

Sexy ladies, I guess?

[Dazai was not a sexy lady kitsune though.]

The legends usually say that they can't hide their tails with magic, so they have to hide them under their clothes. So if you find a fox tail, it's a kitsune.

[Was he a sexy kitsune man?]

...but a tail would be difficult to hide under clothing, would it not?

[He was actually kind of horrifying, so no.]

Not under a kimono, I guess. Or a poofy dress.

[Yikes. Hopefully he'll be sexier for Chuuya here. Actually that sentence was kind of cursed, strike it from the record.]

Oh - I suppose not. Then you could keep yourself safe by not associating with people wearing clothing of that type, correct?

So you're saying I should never talk to a girl in a skirt again?

[Just. Listen to how ridiculous you sound, Flayn.]

...

Well, I suppose that would be a little extreme.

Right? I'm not gonna stop talking to girls just to avoid something that might not even be real.

Yes... but if you were in a place where you knew they were real, that would be one way to avoid them, I suppose.

Is it the same for the tanuki? Are they also unable to hide their tails?

[Well that. That was an unmitigated disaster. Flayn is very obviously unhappy with how all of that turned out, but. Aren't they all?

...anyway, she's crying by the bonfire, so have fun with that, Chuuya.

(is this before or after the group conversations? up to you!)]

[Let's do this before, because Chuuya is getting absolutely sloshed at the group conversation.

He's just going to come by and sit down next to her wordlessly. He'll wait a moment longer, and then reach over to pat her on the shoulder.

It's okay, Flayn. He gets you.]

[She flinches a little at the pat to the shoulder, and looks over at him.]

...why? Why did it have to turn out that way?

Lots of reasons. But the main thing is, the killer couldn't confess. So we had to figure out who to vote for instead.

...that's not the killer's fault either. I'm sure they would have given themselves up rather than let someone else get voted out. But those are the rules we had to work with.

...

[bitterly:]

I hate these rules.

They're very stupid rules, yeah.

[He pauses again, this time for longer, before he speaks once more.]

It's not your fault.

It...

[Her voice trails off, and she's silent for a few long moments.]

I am sure that... many of us feel as though what happened is our fault.

Yeah. A lot of people feel responsible today.

But he's your friend, yeah? Regardless of how involved or not-involved you were, he wouldn't want you to feel guilty about it. That's why he laid down and accepted it: because someone had to die, for everyone else to life.

It's not your fault.

...

[she looks like she wants to say something to that, but -

no words come out. she just can't.]

[It's okay, he gets it. If she knows something, she can't talk about it. He won't force her to.

Instead, he pulls his hand away from her shoulder and rests his arms on his elbows.]

I won't ask you to be cheerful or anything. If you're sad, be sad. But I don't blame you for anything that's happened, and you shouldn't blame yourself either.

[Flayn searches his face.

...he seems to be being honest. If Chuuya doesn't blame her - even knowing what her role entails, and knowing what it might mean if she can't find the words to speak - what does that mean? ...it's painful, to not be blamed by others when she so wholeheartedly blames herself.]

It is very kind of you to say that, Chuuya.

[That is, honestly, why he doesn't blame her. Because it's her role's fault, and nothing more. Flayn is a very sweet person and wouldn't do anything if it wasn't required by the rules of her role.

And, also, Flayn is his friend. She gets special friend privileges, like 'getting the benefit of the doubt'.]

It's the least I can do. I can't really lift your burden in any other way, so I might as well do this, yeah?

...I don't want to see you hurting, by the end of this. You're my friend.

...

I am?

[she should, perhaps, not sound so surprised by that.]

[not again] catchall for chuuya

w3, monday

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w5, saturday

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