[open]

[suddenlybees]

Who: Kano & OTA
What: magic practice, pettiness, finals
Where: Lumière, greenhouse, library
When: mid-month, before finals
Warnings: self-harm for prompt i., none expected for the rest
Notes: details of Kano's new Fey Contract can be found on his app

i. Lumière dormitory rooftop
[ Fey magic is a really... terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. But Kano is determined to make it work, this new Contract that he'd forged a couple of days ago, but it's just so different from his usual illusion magic that he'd worked ten whole years to get to the point where he is now, illusions seamless and effortless compared to him staring at his arm right now wondering what he's doing wrong?

Because his arm is bleeding, a bloody knife on his lap while he pokes at the wound with his other hand and it just comes back bloody, him wincing because it hurts and why isn't the magic working? There's nothing intuitive about this at all, and he has no idea how he's supposed to make it work, with the magic supposed to be healing and dulling pain but it's just doing the opposite for him, the pain making it hard to keep a smile on his face, and making him feel like crying a little.

With a sigh, he waves hand over the bleeding cut instead of touching it, and it disappears— simply masked underneath an illusion, but it's still there while he tries to figure out how to do this, preferably before he bleeds out.

It won't come to it, though. He has three years worth of band-aids stocked up, and he knew they would be useful someday. ]

ii. campus, on the way to the greenhouse or inside
[ But you know what always makes up for terrible days? Even more terrible ideas to get your mind off previous ones. This one isn't that bad, though, because it's something that'll have positive long-term consequences. Probably.

Anyways, it's Kano with long sleeves and pants and winter gloves and the hood of his jacket pulled over his head and eyes and also a bandanna over the rest of his face so he can have as little skin showing as possible. It isn't all because of botched healing practice, though, it's because he's lugging around a three gallon plastic jug in his arms— you know, one of those large plastic containers twice the size of your head that you can buy cheese balls in, but instead of cheese balls, it's bees.

It's a jar full of bees.

He had to ship them to a PO in town and then lug them all the way back to campus; this insect purchasing restriction is really an awful pain. ]

iii. library
[ But also, anyways, it's almost finals and while Kano did surprisingly okay on his midterms, he's got to do slightly more okay on his finals too, because exam scored are literally all that's carrying his grades without the homework to pad it.

So the library it is... Books, his arch nemesis... Him, sitting at one of the open study areas with a stack of brand new text books in front of him that barely look touched, a mug of something on the table that's a dark dark red to the point that it's almost black and also has four tea bags sitting inside it that's steeped so long the tea is no longer steaming, and also hands clamped over his ears like he's trying to block out ambient noise, or massage away a headache, or give himself a headache so he can go hang out in the infirmary for the next two weeks and not do finals.

Why does Daybreak have to be a school??? Schools suck. ]

Comments

Library

[unpocoloco]

[He's not afraid of a kid. He's not. And Rex... didn't count. There is no reason for him to see Kano and turn the other way just because the boy managed to make him uncomfortable one time. He's faced monsters since then. He's not hesitating. It's fine.

He pushes himself forward, eyeing the tea, then Kano himself.]

Ay, niño, you want me to go heat that back up in the cafeteria for you? Looks like it's been sitting a while.

[Considering it was dark out, it looked like Kano had been sitting here a while too.]

[suddenlybees]

[ Kano might laugh if he suspected in any way that Héctor might be wary of him still, but he's so absorbed with staring at this book (not really absorbing anything from it, just in the staring, as if he could bore holes into it or set it on fire or something that'd give him a good excuse to not be here anymore) with his hands clamped over his ears in what he thought was a universal sign of "Go away" that he actually startles when Héctor's shadow crosses over the table and his book, chair screeching unpleasantly over the hardwood floor and tea in danger of being upset, filled to the brim as it is, when his knees hit the underside of the table. ]

... [ He lowers his hands, and blinks dumbly at Héctor, and it takes him doing this twice to bring himself out of his head and actually focus on Héctor's face. And then, like being snapped out of a reverie, there's that smile on his face that hides more than it shows. ]

Hm? No I'm not.

[ ...Just what question was he answering... ]

[unpocoloco]

[It's certainly a universal sign for "things aren't okay", which does the opposite of what Kano intended there. His own efforts seem to go the opposite direction. His hands go out, like he's going to catch either Kano or the tea, but neither one actually spills. Instead he's left staring back at the boy in alarm.

A long silence follows those words.]

...Ooookay, whatever you thought I just said, you might be. But we're going to move past that. Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just asking if you wanted your tea warmed up...? You like you've been here, uh... a while.

[suddenlybees]

[ He wasn't scared, an indignant voice in his whines but is too tired to be voiced, because how long has it been? Hours, seeing as it's dark outside, but he doesn't really feel like explaining anything, so he's glad they're moving past whatever it is that he is not (because he's not), leaving him free to dig around in his pockets and pull out tea bag number five and—- takes a sip of the cold tea first, actually, so he can make enough room to drop the tea bag back into the mug, where it threatens to spill as he holds it up to Héctor. ]

Would you? What a kind offer! I'll take you up on that~! It's su~per full, so be careful with it~!!!

[ Héctor will have to walk slowly with it if he really intends to follow through with the offer, slow to a microwave and slow back, and that'll give Kano plenty of time to go back to staring at this stupid book. ]

[unpocoloco]

[Oh. Dios mio. He has made a mistake, is what he thinks as he sees that lifted drink. He looks at it with trepidation, sets his cane down by the table, then takes the thing in both hands. He's going to have to move real slow anyway if he doesn't want to spill this, limp or no. Maybe he can find a sink and just... take some off the top.

Still, it's definitely going to take a while. When he returns, he's got several layers of paper towel around the mug, half to keep from burning him and half just so the spilling goes somewhere besides his hands. There's certainly a moment where he wonders if Kano's even going to be there when he gets back, but there he is, right where he left the kid. He sets the cup gingerly down and then moves to another seat at the table to drop into it. He slumps back against the chair. Give him a minute.]

So. Do you just like your tea really strong or is this a caffeine thing?

[Because there's got to be a better way.]

i, because I guess I wanted to write more Nana panicking?

[playitagain]

[Nana decided to head to the roof to get some air.

After the mission against the demons, she feels cooped up. Her arm is in a sling — immobilized so the muscles torn in her bicep mend right, with daily healing sessions do it lasts a few days instead of weeks. That means no hiking, no exploring tunnels, and lots of trouble with cooking and acting. She is more than a little stir crazy. The roof is... okay? Maybe?

And when sees Kano, she brightens because finally some entertainment! She hangs back a second to see what he’s doing, if she shouldn’t interrupt. And she just happens to be there in time to see the bloody cut on his arm — the bloody knife in his lap — and the blood on his hand. Nana’s eyes widen. She gasps after the illusion makes the cut vanish. Her mouth hangs open and uncertain horror becomes more focused. She walks up quickly, keeping her voice low. She wants to scream but that might not be smart.]

Kano-kun. What... what are you doing with that knife?

[She looks as tense as he’s ever seen her.]

[suddenlybees]

[ People aren't supposed to go up to the roofs anymore, is what he'd wanted to bank on, but the fencing all around the perimeter just invites unwanted company— not that he dislikes Nana's company, it's the opposite, but he doesn't want anybody's company while he's doing something like this, throwing a slow glance over his shoulder at her rather than make any quick movements, as much as he wants to jump to his feet and hide the knife behind his back or maybe throw it off the rooftop if he didn't believe it'd impale somebody with his luck.

He'd made the decision to do this up here, rather than the relative privacy of his bedroom, so he'd come with a ready explanation in case things go wrong. An unreadable smile on his face, both hands held up and— the knife in his lap turns into notebook, and he lets the entire scene flicker back: one moment clean hands and the book, the next moment, a knife and him covered with blood. ]

Hehe~ It's convincing, isn't it? Did I fool you?

[ Like when he'd pretended to be dead in front of Nana, way back, he can pretend he's pretending the same way. The knife, the blood, those are the illusions, not the fact that he's hiding them. ]

[playitagain]

[That--

That, actually, makes a lot of sense. Kano has appeared to be a corpse once. He made her think he fell out of a plane, too. This fits. She still looks on edge -- the way she does when anyone she cares about even seems to be hurt. There is some haste in how she moves over, and she jostles the arm in the sling. Nnnhh, she vocalizes, quietly.

She looks down, seeing the knife covered in blood, and then not. Her eyes are a little wide, before she looks up at him. Her smile is flickering and brief, but not out of disbelief.]

Y-Yes, definitely... I really thought you'd been cutting yourself, and... [She doesn't know how that ends. It's like the fear and worry that brought on won't quite go away; thinking about it would invite it back.]

...You're really okay? What are you doing up here, practicing something like that?

[suddenlybees]

[ And... She doesn't need to finish that thought, because it'd be too much like all the thoughts that'd run through Kano's mind when he had thought Minako had been hurting herself, or planning to. So he's going to deny that with everything he has, keeping his arm as close and still as possible so he doesn't jostle it and give himself away, laughing under his breath and waving his good hand dismissively in front of his face. ]

I'm okay, I'm okay, it's nothing like that! It's like you said, though~ I'm up here, 'cause I'm practicing something like that. It's not perfect yet, so I can't show off to anybody else... Catching me in the middle of practice, it's pretty embarrassing for me, Nana-chan~

II BEEEEEEEEES

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya's been unwell since the mission against the daemons, for a few reasons, and has been a little closed up in his room. He probably actually had things to do that drew him out.

Those things no longer matter in the face of Kano the fabric monster and his jar of bees.

Yuya makes a beeline (ha) to walk right beside him on the way to the greenhouse.] You really do have bees.

[suddenlybees]

[ With that bandanna pulled across his face, it's impossible to see Kano smile— aka, he doesn't need to pretend to smile anymore, which is a relief to him, and it rarely shows in his eyes either even when he pretends anyways— but the laugh is still apparent, if slightly muffled, as Kano lifts the jar up over his shoulders and gives it a (weak, very very slow, as not to actually hurt the bees inside) shake. ]

I really do have bees~ I told you, right? Reliability is of utmost importance~ I'll always follow through.

[ Which means he doesn't have to explain the plan to Yuya either, because he already knows. These sorts of conversational shortcuts are great. ]

[hippocarnival]

So you're taking them to the greenhouse, right? [Maybe it's a good thing Yuya talked him down from releasing them near Nana after all...

He gives Kano a once-over.] Why are you so wrapped up to do it?

[suddenlybees]

Because they're bees, Yuya. I'm going to have to open it in the greenhouse, right?

[ Not only are they bees, but they're angry bees and hungry bees and he's got to protect himself as much as he can. ]

Hey, hey, maybe you can help me with something? You're not busy right now, right? Come on, won't you spare a few minutes of your time, and lend me a hand?

a little bee-t of everything

[deuteranope]

[Hey, god? If you're up there, what did Mav ever do to you? He'd really like to know. What has he done to deserve a second infestation in his (admittedly less comfortable, now that there's another person there and all) home away from home? This infestation could even sting or kill someone, if they were allergic... He's pretty sure he's not allergic. He's not really looking to find out for sure, though.]

If you're trying to cancel fucking finals or get out of studying, it's not fucking gonna work.

[His voice comes from above, where he's lazily perched on something or other, book in hand and notebook in lap.

Gotta think bigger than that, cricket.

[suddenlybees]

[ Canceling finals is a much better idea than distracting himself from finals until the very last minute until he's backed into a temporal wall and is forced into action. ]

...I knew I should've gone with hornets. Alright! Change of plans! I'm going to leave these with you, so...

[ Maverick's up high, sitting on whatever he's sitting on, so Kano goes ahead and underhand tosses the jar of bees up towards him—- light enough because it's just plastic and air and bees, but it's also plastic and air and bees coming at Maverick's face, and if Kano's lucky, Maverick might knock over his book and notes (please be school notes he can pocket) trying to catch it. Because he would not want to not catch it. ]

[deuteranope]

[Yep, definitely don't want to not catch it! Both the book and notebook -- full of colorful notes and some margin doodles -- go tumbling down while Maverick swears in six different ways. Eventually he's got it secured, as well as securing his grasp on forming sentences.]

Son of a fucking bitch, I'm gonna fucking put these in your pillow! And your fucking shoes!

[Also, like, that's just mean to the bees? They are now the ones silently monologuing at a god they aren't sure exists. Just wait until he gets down there!!!!]

Your food! Your fucking shower head!

[suddenlybees]

Haha, good luck with that! Won't they just fly away?

[ Kano laughs, picking up the books and repositioning himself as directly below Maverick as possible, because Maverick can always drop the jar on top of his head depending on whether he hates Kano more than he respects the bees— and if that's the case, the jar popping open and releasing the bees will do as much hard to Maverick than it does Kano, both of them in the line of fire. ]

But aw, at least not the shower~ I'm sharing that now, don't you remember? Don't do that to some innocent kids~

[ Little ghost girl would probably make friends with them, though, idk ]

1

[gaiarage]

[Naoki doesn't come up to the roof often; there's not a lot up here that makes it worthwhile. Still, there's always a need for privacy, even if neither of them are going to be getting it since Kano decided to pick right now to get blood all over the place. He could just leave him to it, but instead Naoki slowly shuts the door behind him, cocking his head like a curious puppy at... all this.]

You're making a mess.

[There's only a vague hint of concern in his voice, which is mostly annoyance. Sometime's gonna have to clean that up, and it's not gonna be him.]

[suddenlybees]

[ Man, on hindsight, Naoki would've been the perfect practice partner, because he can break Kano's arm and not leave any evidence behind like all this blood that Kano can illusion away but not make disappear completely, the metallic tang still lingering in the air even as he "erases" the blood from his arm and clothes. ]

Sorry, sorry~ It's a mess, isn't it? I was thinking, if I did it anywhere else, I wouldn't be able to get it out of the carpeting or upholstery. A pain, isn't it?

[gaiarage]

[Naoki would be 100% willing to break anything of Kano's if he asked, but that plan's shot for now. He starts to make his way over, running his hand down the side railing, nose twitching at the scent of blood.]

The janitor's going to be pissed. [Or so he assumes. A beat, then:] Does it still hurt?

[suddenlybees]

[ Bringing up Mario as a threat definitely has Kano standing up and making to pack his things- not that he brought much with him, just a book bag slung over his chest that does not and will never carry books, and wondering whether it'll rain soon so all this blood can be washed away without him having to worry about Mario popping out of his toilet when it's 3AM and he really needs to take a piss. ]

Something small like this, it's easy to get used to, so never mind it hurting. Anyways~ What are you doing up here, Naoki? Can I ask you to turn a blind eye to this?

i

[eudaimonikos]

Kano, what the fuck?!

[Michael's mental voice doesn't technically have a volume, but it sure is trying.

He meant it when he said he would check in more. Every time he's not watching, it seems like the stupid kid's just going off and getting hurt. He summoned him with the

...granted, he also seems to have missed wherever that would came from this time, but at least he's seen that it happened at all.]

[suddenlybees]

[ Crap—-

With how little Michael uses their private channel, it always freaks him out when it happens, and startling while holding a knife isn't the best of ideas, the knife slipping from his hands and hitting his legs, thankfully covered by pants but there could have been a real possibility he'd sliced a toe off.

Kano, very much aware now that Michae's probably watching this like he's watching this, shuts his eyes tight so all the both of them can see it complete darkness. ]

Nothing's the fuck!!

[ He says out loud, not knowing where Michael is except he probably can't hear him, since the channel doesn't go both ways. ]

[eudaimonikos]

[The way the channel works, it's difficult to tell if Michael's tuned out or if he's just pausing for dramatic effect, until he speaks again.]

Oh, no, it's dark. I've now completely forgotten what I saw.

[Please, Kano.]

Summon me.

[suddenlybees]

[ It'd be nice if Michael could just forget what he saw after being blinded, if only it works like that. Kano also wants to forget all about it- about everything, including making the contract with the fey in the first place- and he's a fool to think that Michael would never find out about him two-timing.

With a direct a command like that, if Kano doesn't summon him, he'd probably get killed on the spot or something, he thinks as he pulls his hand away from his bloody arm and draws Michael's symbol right onto the roof tiles at his feet with his blood, and then awaits judgement. ]