paradis | ＳＯＲＤＲＥＡＣＨ

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"Chatterclock" - Dave Strider (When equipped, add Chatterclock's stats as a bonus to the wielder's.) HP: -- ATK: ☆☆☆ DEF: ☆ SPD: ☆☆☆☆☆ MGC: ☆☆☆ RES: ☆☆ MP: 100 ACTIVE SKILLS: (All of Chatterclock's offensive spells require the blade to make contact with the enemy at least once before implementation.) Clockstopper: Halts one enemy for a short time, MP 8 Clockstopper II: Halts all enemies for a short time, MP 16 Accelerate: Increases speed of wielder for a short time, MP 8 Accelerate II: Increases speed of wielder for a longer time, MP 12 Memento Mori: What he used against the Hellbull, MP 36 Counterclock: [NOT YET UNLOCKED, effect unknown], MP 80 PASSIVE SKILLS: Auto-target Danger sense Diagnostics Yu Narukami HP: 223 ATK: ☆☆☆☆ DEF: ☆☆☆ SPD: ☆☆ MGC: ☆☆ RES: ☆☆☆ MP: 75 ACTIVE SKILLS: Ziodye: Deals heavy Elec damage to 1 foe, MP 12 Mazionga: Deals medium Elec damage to all foes, MP 16 Garula: Deals medium Wind damage to 1 foe, MP 8 Bufula: Deals medium Ice damage to 1 foe, MP 8 Agilao: Deals medium Fire damage to 1 foe, MP 8 Diarama: Moderately restores 1 ally's HP, MP 6 Marakukaja: Increases Defense for 3 turns (party), MP 24 Tetrakarn: Barrier that reflects phys dmg once, MP 36 PASSIVE SKILLS: Resist Elec Endure

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[ The sword stops glowing, and Yu lets his back settle a little more into his pillows--

--and then an apparition appears besides him.

It's a credit to his temperament that he doesn't jump, or even make any kind of sound. He just pulls in a long, slow breath, his eyes very wide. Shock rolls through him like the rumble of distant thunder, shaking up his lungs and his thoughts and leaving him exposed to the sky.

His eyes scan over the legs resting so casually over his - skinny and long - and track the rest of the way up Chatterclock's body.

This ... this is a boy. This is the boy in the sword he's still holding. This is the real, human person. Yu knew all along that Chatterclock was a person, believed it almost from the moment they met, but to see him - all skinny limbs and an affected casual air, cut with boyish angles and hair that looks almost the same color as his own, in this light -

that's something so different.

What ... does he do? Will this illusion break if he speaks? He's suddenly endlessly grateful for the changed nature of their Pact; he instinctively slammed shut all the channels running from himself to his friend, so that Chatterclock wouldn't feel the maelstrom that's taking place inside his core right now. Won't be stirred from his moment of peace by the wild uncertainty that's making his pulse hum too fast in his wrists.

Chatterclock nods at him.

Carefully, as if Chatterclock might blow away from the slightest breeze, Yu reaches out, aiming his hand for where Chatterclock's shoulder would -- looks like it should -- be. ]

... Chatterclock?

[ He speaks aloud without thinking, his voice pitched low. ]

[There's nothing there to touch, but Chatterclock turns to Yu like he felt it, and for a second, for the first time, their eyes meet.]

Hm?

[It takes him a moment.

He realizes all at once that the angle's wrong, that the hand he felt wasn't on his hilt or his blade or on any part of him that makes sense, that Yu's staring at him like he's seen a ghost and what the hell, why is he over here, what is--k n e e s.

Chatterclock scrambles upwards and the mattress doesn't even bend beneath him, but he stands on the bed with his back to the wall and he has a back, he has hands, he is slapping both of them over his mouth and whispering--]

Fuck!

[But beneath his hands is a disbelieving, open-mouthed half-smile, tugging the corners of his eyes into shocked laughter that he doesn't let out. He moves his hands away from his face and stares at them for several seconds, rubs the pad of his thumb over the calluses--calluses!--on his fingers and palm--then dive-slides for the window to see if he can make his reflection out in the glass.

His makeshift mirror is not particularly effective at this hour of night, but he makes an attempt to restyle his hair anyway, running his hands back through it until it's swept artfully to his satisfaction. Only then does he look back at Yu, pull those long limbs back in to sit properly (all legs to himself this time), and clear his (!) throat.]

I knew I was hot shit.

[How he tries to hide his shock, excitement, bewilderment, how terrifyingly little he understands about his own existence--it's all so much more obvious on his living, moving face, in the tension of his shoulders.]

[ Yu can't rise up like Chatterclock can. Well, he probably could, but with his ankle still tender it's not the best of ideas. He's too shocked to even move, really. All he does is stare, distantly noting in the more analytical part of his mind that the bed isn't shifting with Chatterclock's movements. Which shouldn't be, given his friend's height and probable weight. And yet...

This is a real person, but not a real body, it seems. Could everyone see Chatterclock like this? Or just him? ]

I knew, [ he echoes, without thinking. His eyes are moving back and forth across Chatterclock's frame, flitting to meet his gaze (red...) and dropping to his shoulders, watching tension bunch and shift. Chatterclock is all nervous movement, like he's got more energy than he can possibly burn, while Yu ... Yu just remains still. Calm, steady, quiet. His hands are drawn back into his lap now, both resting on the sword, the pads of his fingers pressed to the flat of the blade. All ten of them. He's not sure if a physical connection is required to maintain Chatterclock this way. He figures trying can't hurt. ]

I knew you were in there, [ he clarifies a moment later, and something about the tone of his voice will make it clear all at once just how electric he's feeling. It's not clear at all in the set of his body, but his eyes are a little wide, and his breath is coming a little fast. Chatterclock's excitement is affecting him, and besides, the enormity of this revelation all by itself would be enough to set his mind buzzing. To most, he'd seem calm, but Chatterclock will be able to see it: he hasn't been this keyed up since they met, since their lives were in mutual danger. ]

... how do you feel?

[ It's a deliberately broad question. Physically? Mentally? Emotionally? ]

Edited (look give it time dave he'll come around to the hotness, probably w smooches) 2016-11-23 00:23 (UTC)

[The reference to "in there" prompts Chatterclock to look down at--well, himself, he guesses. The blade in Yu's lap. It's a dizzying rush to see himself there and yet also feel himself here, and to look at the sword and think, "no, that's me," rather than "that's where I live."

But that's way too existentially confusing, and his nerves are jangling too hard for him to pursue the thought out loud. Chatterclock just shakes his head and picks his hand up again to investigate his palm, opening and closing his fingers a few times.]

I dunno, good question. With my nervous system? [Wait, that's not--] I mean it doesn't look like I have any mass to speak of, but obviously something's there or I wouldn't be reflecting light like this. So I guess I'm not imagining that shit's solid, I gotta be interacting with something...

[He hesitates, then tries slowly to push his hand down through the mattress. It doesn't work, but still, the bed refuses to show any sign of his actually being there. Chatterclock frowns thoughtfully.]

I can feel it, but I guess it doesn't feel me? ...I can still feel your fingers, too. Just saying.

[The red eyes dart up again to catch Yu's face, then skitter aside, down to Yu's hands on the blade. After a moment, still without making direct eye contact, he tilts his head a fraction.]

You feel anything when you touched me? I mean... over-here me. When you tapped my shoulder.

[I felt it, comes across the connection, more a sense-memory than a real, formulated thought.]

[ Yu just blinks and is quiet as words spill out of Chatterclock in a torrent. For the first time it occurs to him all over again why the name he picked was a good choice. Not that Chatterclock hasn't chosen other times to ramble, but he has a particular way of talking a mile a minute when he's stressed that only really comes out in moments of tension, and they haven't had one of those since they met. This, however, is a moment of genuine tension. Not in a life threatening way, but in a "this threatens to upend my worldview" way.

Of course, that had also been the case when they met, just-- he's getting off track.

In response to the bird-quick shifting of Chatterclock's gaze, Yu taps his fingertips on the sword without thinking, and then stiffens slightly. ]

Sorry.

[ Reflex, of some kind. I'm here, that movement said, which was probably unnecessary. ]

I...

[ After a beat, Yu lifts his hand again. His fingers hesitate in the air twice, but finally he reaches the space where Chatterclock's shoulder should be.

He does not meet physical resistance. Chatterclock's form blurs over his fingertips, and Yu yanks his hand back, settling it on the sword after a moment of wordless wonder. ]

... sort of?

[ He considers this, and his mouth twists. ]

There's nothing physical to feel. It's like ... like static electricity, [ he blurts out, and then feels stupid, ducking his chin while his cheeks fill in with faint color. ] It's ... more like energy. A feeling. But ... yeah. [ He settles, his jitters leaving him as he realizes that the nature of his answer doesn't really matter as long as the answer itself is yes. When he looks up again, he smiles. ] Yeah, I did.

[AaaAAAa that's weird, and Chatterclock shakes his arm out and rubs his shoulder as Yu stumbles over his report, explain how it feels to touch him. His movements slow as Yu describes it, as he listens with no small wonder, but then flushes and laughs a little when Yu looks back up, if for no other reason than that he's been caught making eye contact.]

Cool.

[It is. It's very cool.

Chatterclock looks down at himself again, somewhat flustered, and smooths his shirtfront down, scrutinizes his own slim arms, his slender chest.]

Wonder if this is what I looked like. You know, before.

[He tilts his head at the sword.]

If there was a before, I guess.

[He flexes an arm to test its strength, its mobility, and hums a doubtful note. He lifts it up, appraising himself.]

Past me should've lifted more, maybe.

"Big bro?"

[ Yu doesn't exactly freeze.

But he does go very, very still. ]

"I heard voices... are you talking to somebody?"

[ Ah.

They've been discovered.

Yu stares at his still-closed door, picturing the small girl that must be lurking just beyond it. ]

Do you want to meet my cousin? [ The mental question is calm, perhaps remarkably even, held apart up above the sudden rush and churn that his emotions have become. ]

Edited 2016-12-09 01:05 (UTC)

[Chatterclock does freeze and almost flickers away, but Yu's question, when asked, holds him there. He blinks and looks at him.]

That's okay?

[Beneath the surprise runs a faint undercurrent of unease, but not about Nanako, not about Yu. Something about the bond between family, the unspoken duty to keep her safe. The disturbance introducing any new element causes that balance.

He's not nervous about Nanako. He's nervous for Nanako, about making her aware of him, about scaring her.]

[ Yu nods slowly. He starts to rise from the bed, pauses, and sits down again. Taking a deep breath, he says out loud: ]

You can come in, Nanako. There's someone I want to introduce you to.

[ Yu suffuses their bond with warm feelings - of reassurance, of acceptance, of you belong here - but he only gets a moment for it before the door opens.

Nanako pokes her head in first, big brown eyes wide and curious. She freezes when she spots Chatterclock, and nearly yanks the door shut. But she doesn't quite finish the motion. She's just ... hiding. ]

It's alright, Nanako, [ Yu calls out, gentle, encouraging. ] He's a friend.

[ As shy and solemn as ever, Nanako again peeks her head into the room. After a beat, she actually steps inside, pushing the door mostly closed behind her out of politeness. She steps across the room, but stops a few feet away from the bed, apparently unsure of just how close she can venture. She glances at Yu several times, her hands fidgeting behind her back.

In response, Yu holds out his hand to her.

With a visible swallow, Nanako works up her courage and trots the last few steps needed to put her next to the bed, immediately reaching out to curl her tinier hand into Yu's. She watches Chatterclock steadily, her chin ducked down. ]

"Um... hello."

[Chatterclock winces when she ducks behind the door, and the resulting tumble of feelings he accidentally sends Yu before temporarily damming the connection include guilt and binding, barbed shame. Yeah, he called that. He holds still as Nanako approaches, keeping his face tilted down, nonthreatening.]

Uh. Hi. [He swallows and glances nervously at Yu, then breathes out and faces Nanako again, chin still lowered.] I'm Chatterclock.

[He twists a pinch of his pants hem between his fingers, aware of how not-human that name sounds, aware of the strangeness of his existence, despite all Yu's reassurance. But he glances up again, meets Nanako's eyes, and then clears his throat and keeps going.]

Yu helped me out of the Labyrinth the other day, so, um. That's why I'm here.

[This is so unfair. He doesn't have anything to hide behind or a hand to hold while he meets new people. Where the hell are his societal cues?

After a moment, though, one occurs to him, and he bows his head, more polite to this tiny girl than he's been to anyone so far.]

Sorry for intruding on your hospitality.

She's just shy, [ Yu murmurs over their mental connection. That wince strikes at the deepest pieces of him, and not just because of the guilt and the shame. And of course Chatterclock, Yu thinks, has no reason to feel those things. But it's also because he might be feeling them for the wrong reasons. Nanako shied away from him too, at first, as she does with most new people.

But after that, he stays quiet, holding his cousin's hand and watching Chatterclock from the corner of his eye. He wishes there was more he could do. He's never seen his friend quite this ... restrained. And even though "never" only constitutes a few days, the shift in Chatterclock's demeanor is still very striking. It's not that he thought his rambling, babbling friend couldn't be respectful when the time called for it. Yu knew he could. But the politeness he poses is undercut with fear, and that is the part he doesn't like.

Nanako, though, knows none of this. She just knows there's a strange, slightly transparent boy sitting on her big brother's bed. He seems nice enough. He even talks a little bit like big bro, enough to get a sudden smile out of her. ]

"Hehe, you sound like big bro. He said the same thing when he first got here, too! At least, that's what dad says. I was really little, so I guess I don't remember."

[ Yu has the grace to look embarrassed. He had said something very similar - sorry for intruding - when he'd first arrived, fourteen years old and lonely and scared but determined to be a good guest.

Nanako looks at him, and Yu nods his understanding. He looks at Chatterclock, and he thinks: ]

She wants to sit on the bed with us.

[ It's a statement, but also a gentle request. One Chatterclock is allowed to refuse. Meanwhile, Nanako keeps talking. ]

"Big bro helps everyone. He's even helped me and dad. So if that's why you're here, it's okay. Um, does this mean you're gonna stay with us?"

[ Her free hand presses into the bed, and she bounces up on her toes, trying to get a better look at Chatterclock. Yu, for his part, is kind of radiating embarrassment, and not even over their mental connection. It's just obvious in the slope of his shoulders, in the way he kind of stops looking at either of them for a few moments. ]

[Surprised to be asked whether or not Nanako can sit with them, Chatterclock glances at Yu, then nods slightly. Being treated like this continues to baffle him. It's not his bed, it's not his house, none of this is his call to make, and still Yu asks permission.

...But then, maybe he can understand it, or at least the impulse behind it. Sorry for intruding. It clicks, suddenly, when Nanako calls Yu's uncle "Dad" that Yu entered this family later. That he came in from somewhere else.

These distinctions mean a lot to Chatterclock. Dad. Cousin. Big bro. They land heavier in his consciousness than other words, like weights holding the rest of his understanding of this world together. Signposts all the more visible for his lack of experience with them.

His hands loosen, release the hem of his pants.]

Okay.

[Nanako's smile, curiosity, and willingness to talk have eased the taut anxiety from Chatterclock's chest, leaving mostly the wrong-footed awkwardness of any guest and a stirring of answering curiosity. He rests his hands in his lap, one cupped in the other, pressing his thumb into his palm to keep himself from fidgeting. Meets her eyes properly, even though his ears are heating up under the overt attention.]

If that's okay with you. Like. It's your house.

[After a moment, just a tiny bit emboldened by the lack of instant rejection, he tilts his head.]

Someone ought to help you look after this guy, right?

[ Granted permission, Yu straightens up slightly and gives Nanako a nod. Alight with cautious excitement, she lets go of her big brother's hand and climbs onto the bed. Still, her first reaction is to wriggle her way right into Yu's side, where he immediately - and comfortingly - wraps an arm around her shoulders. She uses his body like a shield, hiding behind the bulwark he makes, gripping his shirt and peering at Chatterclock with all the curiosity in the world tucked into one little girl-shaped package. ]

"It's okay with me as long as it's okay with big bro."

[ Yu pats her head, which seems to give her a bit more courage, and she sits up slightly. ]

"You mean you really wanna help? Big bro spends a lot of time in the la... lab... labyrinth." [ She sounds it out, a twisty but manageable word. ] "I worry about him a lot, and I know dad doesn't really like it. Sometimes they fight."

Nanako...

[ The emotions in Yu's voice are layered, and thus difficult to pull apart. His brow is drawn down low while he looks at her, his frown one of concern. ]

We're not fighting. Everything's alright between uncle and I.

[ Nanako looks up at him with those big brown eyes. ]

"You promise?"

Yeah. Promise.

[ Mollified, if not totally reassured, Nanako rests against him, her cheek smooshed on his chest, while she looks back at Chatterclock. ]

"So, your name is Chatterclock, right?" [ She considers for a moment ebefore beaming at him. ] "That's really cool! I like it! Um... I'm Nanako. It's nice to meet you."

[ This whole time, Yu hasn't said anything else over their mental connection. He's quiet, not tense, but ... holding himself apart, wound up tight as a spring. Something about this interaction, about Nanako being here, seems to have him feeling very cautious. Since she brought up the labyrinth, his arm has been a little tighter around her - not just comforting, but protective. ]

[Yu's tense, and Chatterclock absorbs it more than he senses it, twisting his fingers through one another, watching Yu's hand for a moment instead of either of their faces. He blinks and comes to attention visibly when Nanako calls his name, but then his relief is instant and palpable, too. 'That's really cool!' He's so easy to please.]

Likewise, Miss Nanako. And thanks. I like my name, too.

[His eyes are still crinkled in his not-smile smile, though he doesn't look at Yu to give away the joke.

He holds one hand up like he's swearing an oath.]

I promise to be real quiet after curfew and not take fifty years in the bathroom. As conscientious a houseguest as I can ever hope to be. Any other house rules I should know about?

[He addresses it all to Nanako. Sorry, Yu, but Chatterclock can totally see who the real authority in this household is.]

Smartass, [ Yu whispers mentally, no smile on his face to betray the fact that he caught onto that little joke, but not unlike Chatterclock, there are now some crinkles in the corners of his eyes that he can't quite help.

Nanako's eyes go wide when he holds up his hand like it's all official. Without thinking she sits up, bracing her hands on Yu's tummy and winning a quiet oof. ]

"Um! ... well, you have to be polite to guests, and take your shoes off at the door." [ She tilts her head, clearly just kind of reciting things she's been told. ] "You shouldn't open the door for strangers, and...."

And you have to get washed up for dinner, [ Yu interjects, his smile more in his voice than on his face, though his brows are raised. Nanako looks a little crestfallen. ]

"Okay, big bro... um, can I play more with you and Chatterclock later?"

[ Yu gives Chatterclock a sideways glance. There's a small smile on his lips, though. ]

I'm sure he'd love to see your doll collection, Nanako.

"Really?!" [ look. look at that smile. can anyone alive say no to that smile. ]

Edited (i ruined my own joke. also hello shibe) 2017-01-05 22:54 (UTC)

[No. They can't. But either way, Chatterclock just smiles for real, easy and unrestrained--not even thinking or looking at Yu, one hundred percent genuine.]

Sure. Whenever you want. [He leans towards her a little and adds quietly, like it's a secret just for her:] I like princesses specially, but I'm good with dragons or pirates too if that's more your style.

[He offers her a solemn thumbs-up and sits up again.]

Later, though. I'm not gonna stand in the way of a growing girl and her nutrition. Cool?

[His gaze does flick over to Yu, now. Like he needs permission for a playdate. Or like he's worried, naturally, about overstepping his bounds, even when--especially when--he and Yu are wound through each other so closely, right now.]

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im revoking your friendship credentials

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