[ O-oh, he actually took his hand. No, don't look surprised—Tsukasa turns and leads him up the stairs then, thankful for the darkness. It's actually been a while since he held someone's hand, so this is nice... He usually does it all the time with some of his friends, but
well. Those friends aren't around long enough for that to matter, and he feels like hiding whenever they do flicker onto the same plane of existence. It's too hard for him. ]
That's true~. Really lucky, since I left my paintbrush at home. I didn't even think about grabbing it... [ Super lucky, that people have wanted to go stargazing. Summer's a good time for that though, since it stays warm at night, so he isn't too surprised, but still... ] I wonder if this is going to continue into next month too, actually? I'd like it if we only had one problem to deal with—or, better yet, none... I mean, I didn't expect I'd be spending my summer break doing this kind of stuff... I thought it'd be more like, going to the beach with friends or something.
[It isn't that Izumi is adverse to affection or anything - not really. He isn't really the type for skinship, but holding a friend's hand isn't bad at all, and might be just a little bit welcome given how lonely things have been lately.
That, and having someone who would want to hold his hand at all is just a little bit of a blessing.]
If we complete these tasks we were given, aren't things supposed to go back to normal? Or as normal as they can be, with Retrospec being the way it is. It's nice that doing something fun is enough to help out.
[Stargazing is way better than like. Fighting monsters or something.]
Would you want to go to the beach? It might be fun to set off fireworks.
[ Setting off fireworks... Tsukasa swings their hands idly, looking up. Mmm, he's never done it before, but would it be too pathetic to admit that...? No, would it feel more pathetic if Izumi replied with something like, "I'm not surprised"...
Given his family. Ah, welll, he's just let on that they're really strict, right? Mm... ]
I'd love to~. I'd say we could do it tonight, but even staying with Leonii, I have a curfew... He got a little mad that I snuck out to go on a walk, but-- [ then miai teased me about being on a date and leo told me to ask you ] uh, it's okay. I told him I wouldn't stay too late, even with you.
[Honestly, Izumi likewise can't say that he has much experience with typical summer fun, though his reasons are different from Tsukasa's. He can't swim and wilts in the heat, so even though he usually goes to the beach with his family at least once every summer, he's never the type to jump forward and suggest doing all types of summer activities (unless laying on the floor at home in the AC counts). Sparklers are definitely very summery, though, and something they can do at some point!]
It's okay. Tonight's just for stargazing, anyway. [Isn't that right?] Besides, if Leonii gets mad at you, then I'm to blame too. We're partners in not-actually-crime. ....Did you want to sit down somewhere to watch the stars, or just walk around?
I'm not really the best either... Well, at least I kinda have the upper body strength for it.
[ It's... probably illegal to climb a shrine, but Tsukasa's leading them to one that's tall but not like, too terribly "we will die if we slip and fall"-ish. MAY STILL BE SLIGHTLY SCARY TO LOOK AT AND GO WE'RE GONNA CLIMB THIS BUT THEY WON'T DIE, ]
Daisuke also taught me some parkour in exchange for teaching him how to ride a chocobo. ♪ Don't worry, it isn't hard.
He taught you parkour? I knew he'd gotten some crazy abilities, but that's.... Imagining you doing it is even more crazy!
[No, don't worry, he's definitely intimidated. Not enough to vehemently back out or anything, but enough to look up and mentally go "is this even okay though?"]
Um, well.... If you're sure, then I'll let you lead the way! But if I'm climbing too, I won't be able to catch you if you fall.
[Ah, yes, he heard about that in passing.... Which only makes Tsukasa seem even more trustworthy, clearly. Full confidence here.
....Except looking at him, it's clear that Izumi isn't feeling very confident at all. What if they fall and like impale themselves on the fence-- okay, no.]
I'll give it my best shot, at least? I'm not sure how it'll go, but I'm going to have faith in you. For my own sake.
[Here goes nothing....?!]
woke up at 3:40ish and couldnt get back to sleep. whats your excuse
The faith-having would be much more useful if I was going second and could cushion your fall, wouldn't it.
[ but, that tease aside, he'll carefully get up and test the waters of grabbing one of decorative ornamentations above..... or try to, he is a little short of reaching it unless he jumps.
he realizes that after fifteen seconds of reaching for it though and hops, grabbing it and sort of. immediately reaching up again with the momentum to grab onto a slanted tile. if he wheezes when he pulls himself up don't comment. there's still another roof (the Proper roof) to go though,
but he can wait on the first landing for izumi. ]
Crazy 4 AM storms with 60 mph gusts waking me up, which is totally valid!
Would you be able to do that while climbing in the first place? If you let go, we'd both go crashing down!
[This is where Izumi's extra two cm on Tsukasa come in handy-- no, not really. He can't say he isn't a little impressed, wheezing aside, simply because art nerds and athletics usually don't mix (even though Tsukasa has a heads up from riding horses that Izumi definitely doesn't have).... But with that, it's time to follow the same path, and he does the same small hop before eventually managing to pull himself up on the landing with only mild difficulty. Not too bad!]
This is too much for my frail shut-in body.
[But he's smiling as he says it, even if he's still breathing a little hard from pulling himself up.]
[ Not only riding horses, but taking care of things around the stables too...♪ He's a stablehand first and foremost, he just really likes handling the animals. Izumi doesn't have any of that benefit though, so he's inclined to let him catch his breath a bit before they continue—
the stars aren't bad from here anyway, and he looks up with a soft "uwah". ]
...It's a mix of different colors~. [ damn people for painting the sky things other than its actual color, but at least it makes nighttime look incredible. ] Hey, Izumi, do you know why the sky's blue normally?
[Catching his breath is one thing, but tilting his head up at Tsukasa's soft exclamation, he's almost tempted to echo it.
It's... really stunning to look at, actually. The stars may not be any constellations he recognizes (not that he actually knows much about astronomy to begin with), but it's the colours that captivate him.]
It's almost like an aurora... like a painting. [It is painted, but that isn't the point.] Uh... isn't it because of the light or the atmosphere or something? You probably shouldn't be asking someone who draws half of the time instead of taking notes in science class.
[ Maybe if you took notes you'd have better grades— ]
That's right. Blue light travels in short waves, so it's the one that gets scattered the most when the sunlight hits the atmosphere. [ He spreads his hands a little, always eager to share his learnings ♪ He's a straight-A student for a reason, and that's... because of a lot of dedication. And doodling, but dedication. ] So... I wonder what that means for our sky. Are we painting the atmosphere, influencing what color gets scattered as a result? Are we changing physics itself...? Mm, I wonder what that means...
[ He trails off a little, letting his hands drop, too. Hmm. And continuing a little softer, almost to himself: ]
Like God, or something... Remaking things as we see fit, with the colors we see fit... [ ... ] Mmm, I'm sure it's just the paint influencing what shows up, but then again, things just kind of stay like that... I wonder if it's possible to paint over it and get a different color to show up, or if you paint over it too much, if it layers up and becomes hard to see through...? Like with real acrylic paint... Oh, I bet it'd peel nicely then, but then we'd have the problem of the sky not being there again... Actually, it's a little strange that we're able to reach it anyway, even with that dome that appeared— and mm, I wonder, what layers mean, again...
[ ..........................well!! He claps his hands and turns to Izumi, smiling slightly. ]
U~m, but anyway, we should keep climbing, right? I'm sure the aurora'll be even prettier when we get up there~. Fufu, I'm excited. ♪
Is it bad that I just thought of it as paint? Not light scattering and changing physics and science and all of that....
[Tsukasa is certainly creative, though, and Izumi can hardly fault that. It's an interesting thought process, if nothing else.]
I guess it's not the same as normal paint, but if we paint enough layers - layers of paint, I mean - maybe something would happen! Not that we have our brushes with us anyway. Let's just be spectators tonight.
[That's enough to earn a nod, though, and Izumi is happy to smile in return and turn to the shrine they're about to continue climbing.]
I bet it will! Maybe we'll see something really amazing up there. I'll follow your lead again, okay?
[ HE'S A STRAIGHT-A STUDENT WITH EXCELLENT STUDY SKILLS, HE IS IN A POSITION TO JUDGE.
Tsukasa's a little flushed though—Izumi's probably right, it's probably just the paint... There's no need to overthink this sort of thing. Actually, it's better not to— he looks back at the shrine with a sigh, glancing at the ornamentation and such... Mm, maybe there...~? He'll take Izumi's hand and pull him closer, pointing up. ]
Give me a boost and I'll pull you up when I'm up there?
[In spite of everything, Izumi wasn't expecting to have his hand taken once more, but he's quick to secure his hold on Tsukasa's in return. The shrine really is lovely under these lights.... So it's bound to be even more beautiful from a higher vantage point.]
A boost? I'm not very strong, so don't expect too much, but I'll give it a try!
[He can at least try to help hold Tsukasa up as he climbs, so.... Bringing his free hand down to a little below knee-height, he gestures for Tsukasa to place his foot there. It's a boost, right? This should go well.]
[ This should go super well. He pats Izumi's head before he puts his foot on his hand—he'll let his hand go so Izumi can work this better, too, and be ready to grab the edge of the roof as soon as he can. ]
[Okay, two hands will definitely make this a lot easier. The head pat catches him a little off guard, but in a matter of moments, he lets out a small laugh and reaches down to secure both hands beneath Tsukasa's foot.]
Okay, then I'll lift you on three!
[He isn't exactly sure how this is going to go, but.... it's probably good enough. Once Tsukasa has his initial boost, Izumi can adjust to grab his waist or both feet or something. Probably.]
[ Up he goes— he scrambles for a hold, finds it, and is thankful for Izumi's adjustment there—waist is fine, legs better, feet best as he wiggles his way up. Just a little more, just a bit... Phew. ...That was harder than expected. Maybe he should do more core exercises or something...
Oh, right, he has to help Izumi up. Peeking over the side— ]
If I'm honest, I didn't think I was going to make it. [ thanks tsukasa, really inspiring there. ] I should be able to pull you up though...? Maybe? Um, I'll try my best?
[Honestly, if their positions were flipped, Izumi's almost certain that he would have struggled to get up even more than Tsukasa did. At least he's not going to make fun of it, since he's far worse off.]
At least you did it, right? I'm not so sure I'll make it up there, but we'll see how it goes.
[He's two cm taller than Tsukasa, which will give him a clear advantage!! And.... he's really underweight, but pulling him up will still likely be a struggle.]
Okay, I'm going to reach up and give you my hands. I'll trust you, but I'm not sure how much I trust myself... I guess we'll find out.
Well, if we go down, at least we go down together. ♪ [ tsukasa,
but'll reach down for Izumi's hands, come come. ] Mmm, next time, I think I'll bring a rope or something... A ladder? Then we don't have to risk hurting ourselves or anything like that...
[Hint: it isn't. But nevertheless, he quirks a slightly nervous smile and grasps Tsukasa's hands as tightly as he can.]
Is climbing the shrine going to be a regular thing?! Rope sounds like a good idea, but do you think we could actually do it? Are we even going to be able to get down later without breaking our legs?
[He says, allowing Tsukasa to help him climb up....]
[ Should be..... once Izumi's up, Tsukasa scoots a bit away to give him some room and pulls his knees to his chest. The view's wonderful from here, the dark, faintly multicolor sky spread above them without interruption. There would be more stars if the city wasn't right there but, well... ]
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well. Those friends aren't around long enough for that to matter, and he feels like hiding whenever they do flicker onto the same plane of existence. It's too hard for him. ]
That's true~. Really lucky, since I left my paintbrush at home. I didn't even think about grabbing it... [ Super lucky, that people have wanted to go stargazing. Summer's a good time for that though, since it stays warm at night, so he isn't too surprised, but still... ] I wonder if this is going to continue into next month too, actually? I'd like it if we only had one problem to deal with—or, better yet, none... I mean, I didn't expect I'd be spending my summer break doing this kind of stuff... I thought it'd be more like, going to the beach with friends or something.
[ .............since he has those now! ]
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That, and having someone who would want to hold his hand at all is just a little bit of a blessing.]
If we complete these tasks we were given, aren't things supposed to go back to normal? Or as normal as they can be, with Retrospec being the way it is. It's nice that doing something fun is enough to help out.
[Stargazing is way better than like. Fighting monsters or something.]
Would you want to go to the beach? It might be fun to set off fireworks.
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Given his family. Ah, welll, he's just let on that they're really strict, right? Mm... ]
I'd love to~. I'd say we could do it tonight, but even staying with Leonii, I have a curfew... He got a little mad that I snuck out to go on a walk, but-- [ then miai teased me about being on a date and leo told me to ask you ] uh, it's okay. I told him I wouldn't stay too late, even with you.
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It's okay. Tonight's just for stargazing, anyway. [Isn't that right?] Besides, if Leonii gets mad at you, then I'm to blame too. We're partners in not-actually-crime. ....Did you want to sit down somewhere to watch the stars, or just walk around?
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That depends. [ Eheh. ] Are you any good at climbing...~?
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[Hint: it's no.]
But if it's to get a better view and you're up for it, I'll at least try.
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[ It's... probably illegal to climb a shrine, but Tsukasa's leading them to one that's tall but not like, too terribly "we will die if we slip and fall"-ish. MAY STILL BE SLIGHTLY SCARY TO LOOK AT AND GO WE'RE GONNA CLIMB THIS BUT THEY WON'T DIE, ]
Daisuke also taught me some parkour in exchange for teaching him how to ride a chocobo. ♪ Don't worry, it isn't hard.
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[No, don't worry, he's definitely intimidated. Not enough to vehemently back out or anything, but enough to look up and mentally go "is this even okay though?"]
Um, well.... If you're sure, then I'll let you lead the way! But if I'm climbing too, I won't be able to catch you if you fall.
WHY ARE YOU UP AT 5AM
[ warflashbacks to a foot in his face and two whole-ass people falling on him. plus goro getting hurt.
here's a good starting point though, on a fence-- ]
You be careful too, okay? I'd feel really bad if you got hurt because of me.
Why are YOU up at 5 AM?!
....Except looking at him, it's clear that Izumi isn't feeling very confident at all. What if they fall and like impale themselves on the fence-- okay, no.]
I'll give it my best shot, at least? I'm not sure how it'll go, but I'm going to have faith in you. For my own sake.
[Here goes nothing....?!]
woke up at 3:40ish and couldnt get back to sleep. whats your excuse
[ but, that tease aside, he'll carefully get up and test the waters of grabbing one of decorative ornamentations above..... or try to, he is a little short of reaching it unless he jumps.
he realizes that after fifteen seconds of reaching for it though and hops, grabbing it and sort of. immediately reaching up again with the momentum to grab onto a slanted tile. if he wheezes when he pulls himself up don't comment. there's still another roof (the Proper roof) to go though,
but he can wait on the first landing for izumi. ]
Crazy 4 AM storms with 60 mph gusts waking me up, which is totally valid!
[This is where Izumi's extra two cm on Tsukasa come in handy-- no, not really. He can't say he isn't a little impressed, wheezing aside, simply because art nerds and athletics usually don't mix (even though Tsukasa has a heads up from riding horses that Izumi definitely doesn't have).... But with that, it's time to follow the same path, and he does the same small hop before eventually managing to pull himself up on the landing with only mild difficulty. Not too bad!]
This is too much for my frail shut-in body.
[But he's smiling as he says it, even if he's still breathing a little hard from pulling himself up.]
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the stars aren't bad from here anyway, and he looks up with a soft "uwah". ]
...It's a mix of different colors~. [ damn people for painting the sky things other than its actual color, but at least it makes nighttime look incredible. ] Hey, Izumi, do you know why the sky's blue normally?
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It's... really stunning to look at, actually. The stars may not be any constellations he recognizes (not that he actually knows much about astronomy to begin with), but it's the colours that captivate him.]
It's almost like an aurora... like a painting. [It is painted, but that isn't the point.] Uh... isn't it because of the light or the atmosphere or something? You probably shouldn't be asking someone who draws half of the time instead of taking notes in science class.
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That's right. Blue light travels in short waves, so it's the one that gets scattered the most when the sunlight hits the atmosphere. [ He spreads his hands a little, always eager to share his learnings ♪ He's a straight-A student for a reason, and that's... because of a lot of dedication. And doodling, but dedication. ] So... I wonder what that means for our sky. Are we painting the atmosphere, influencing what color gets scattered as a result? Are we changing physics itself...? Mm, I wonder what that means...
[ He trails off a little, letting his hands drop, too. Hmm. And continuing a little softer, almost to himself: ]
Like God, or something... Remaking things as we see fit, with the colors we see fit... [ ... ] Mmm, I'm sure it's just the paint influencing what shows up, but then again, things just kind of stay like that... I wonder if it's possible to paint over it and get a different color to show up, or if you paint over it too much, if it layers up and becomes hard to see through...? Like with real acrylic paint... Oh, I bet it'd peel nicely then, but then we'd have the problem of the sky not being there again... Actually, it's a little strange that we're able to reach it anyway, even with that dome that appeared— and mm, I wonder, what layers mean, again...
[ ..........................well!! He claps his hands and turns to Izumi, smiling slightly. ]
U~m, but anyway, we should keep climbing, right? I'm sure the aurora'll be even prettier when we get up there~. Fufu, I'm excited. ♪
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Is it bad that I just thought of it as paint? Not light scattering and changing physics and science and all of that....
[Tsukasa is certainly creative, though, and Izumi can hardly fault that. It's an interesting thought process, if nothing else.]
I guess it's not the same as normal paint, but if we paint enough layers - layers of paint, I mean - maybe something would happen! Not that we have our brushes with us anyway. Let's just be spectators tonight.
[That's enough to earn a nod, though, and Izumi is happy to smile in return and turn to the shrine they're about to continue climbing.]
I bet it will! Maybe we'll see something really amazing up there. I'll follow your lead again, okay?
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Tsukasa's a little flushed though—Izumi's probably right, it's probably just the paint... There's no need to overthink this sort of thing. Actually, it's better not to— he looks back at the shrine with a sigh, glancing at the ornamentation and such... Mm, maybe there...~? He'll take Izumi's hand and pull him closer, pointing up. ]
Give me a boost and I'll pull you up when I'm up there?
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A boost? I'm not very strong, so don't expect too much, but I'll give it a try!
[He can at least try to help hold Tsukasa up as he climbs, so.... Bringing his free hand down to a little below knee-height, he gestures for Tsukasa to place his foot there. It's a boost, right? This should go well.]
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Ready when you are~.
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Okay, then I'll lift you on three!
[He isn't exactly sure how this is going to go, but.... it's probably good enough. Once Tsukasa has his initial boost, Izumi can adjust to grab his waist or both feet or something. Probably.]
One, two.... three!
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Phew. ...That was harder than expected. Maybe he should do more core exercises or something...
Oh, right, he has to help Izumi up. Peeking over the side— ]
If I'm honest, I didn't think I was going to make it. [ thanks tsukasa, really inspiring there. ] I should be able to pull you up though...? Maybe? Um, I'll try my best?
[ that's not concerning at all right, ]
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At least you did it, right? I'm not so sure I'll make it up there, but we'll see how it goes.
[He's two cm taller than Tsukasa, which will give him a clear advantage!! And.... he's really underweight, but pulling him up will still likely be a struggle.]
Okay, I'm going to reach up and give you my hands. I'll trust you, but I'm not sure how much I trust myself... I guess we'll find out.
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but'll reach down for Izumi's hands, come come. ] Mmm, next time, I think I'll bring a rope or something... A ladder? Then we don't have to risk hurting ourselves or anything like that...
[ ah yes, Next Time. ]
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[Hint: it isn't. But nevertheless, he quirks a slightly nervous smile and grasps Tsukasa's hands as tightly as he can.]
Is climbing the shrine going to be a regular thing?! Rope sounds like a good idea, but do you think we could actually do it? Are we even going to be able to get down later without breaking our legs?
[He says, allowing Tsukasa to help him climb up....]
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[ Should be..... once Izumi's up, Tsukasa scoots a bit away to give him some room and pulls his knees to his chest. The view's wonderful from here, the dark, faintly multicolor sky spread above them without interruption. There would be more stars if the city wasn't right there but, well... ]
...I wonder if you could paint more stars.
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