[ it's not as though ryuu thought he was going to actually get away with not explaining to momo why he has such intimate familiarity with all the things at play in their newfound home. synchrony, manna... and not only those, but the very concept of being taken from home and dropped somewhere new. it feels wild even to him, despite living it once before - living it now, even.
but he's a man of his word, momo's persuasive talents aside, so when his conversations ebb, he goes about pulling on a hoodie and leaving to visit his senior. it's not a long enough trip to get worked up on, but he still finds himself...
[As promised, Momo left the door open a crack anyway, but he's kind of expecting Ryuu to knock anyway - and is proven right in that guess very quickly. There's the sound of one last glass being placed on a table before the unmistakable aura of approaching Momo (which is usually just the sound of a person of extreme energy honing in on your location) comes to the door.]
You already know you can come in, Ryuu-chan, you don't have to knock! [He pulls the door open, waving Ryuu inside with one hand. Momo's apartment here is not too large for one person, per se, but it is very obvious it's actually intended for two people, even before seeing the closed door to an additional bedroom. And, besides a few small bits of decoration he's managed here and there, small pictures and trinkets (it actually looks like he managed to get some photos of Yuki from his home phone to his new one and print them...) the apartment is already turning into what all Momo domiciles that he's not sharing with Yuki currently turn into - "organised" chaos which mostly just looks like normal chaos. There's a bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table, but they're sharing the space with a bottle of nail oil, several more bottles of nailpolish, and a shirt that's half fallen off one side like it was thrown there at some point. There are soft couches on either side of it, and Momo drops himself onto one and crosses his legs, resting his head in his hands and wiggling his painted toenails in a rather silly image of curiosity.]
You've been settling in okay, right? You're in one of the houses, aren't you?
[How does he know this? Somehow. It's Momo, don't question it.]
[ despite the fact that he knows that energy is going to be inescapable in about five seconds, ryuu smiles anyway when momo comes to the door and admits him. his shoulders rise haplessly as if to say - he's a polite boy, how could be just barge in even when invited to do just that? ]
Hi, Momo-san.
[ entering the same with just that, he relaxes when he sees that it already looks lived in. necessities first, right? untucking his hands from his hoodie pockets, he ventures around to take a seat across from momo. ]
Yeah, I haven't had any trouble with anything so far. I tried an apartment at first, but... in the end, Gaku and Tenn decided to stay with me again after all.
[ well, more like he and tenn decided and gaku wasn't given a choice, but from ryuu's perspective, it's sorely needed familiarity. ]
[Momo clearly managed to get the space dirt off his orange hoodie since they initially met, because it's a whole hell of a lot cleaner than it was after Momo had faceplanted onto dusty ground multiple times. He might not be that good at housework, but he is in possession of a search engine and sometimes that's enough for this sort of thing.
As Ryuu explains the housing situation, Momo leans forward to unscrew the wine bottle - it's nothing expensive this early on, so it's not even corked - and pour himself some, and then lean over to pour Ryuu some as well. A visible amount more than Momo has, too.]
Well, it's nice to all live together, isn't it? And it's nicer that you actually got to choose this time. [Instead of being forced together by circumstance.] At least that'll make all of you easy to check on! But that's not really what we came here to talk about, is it?
[He winks knowingly before taking a sip of his wine, watching Ryuu with that dissecting sort of look he sometimes takes on when he's deconstructing someone for as much information as he can get without them speaking it.]
I'd choose it anytime, I think... [ necessity or no, though maybe it still feels a little like the best way to keep their balance. until things settle, anyway. speaking of - ] ...ah, yeah. You're right.
[ ryuu contemplates the wine glass for a long moment. it's obvious he's just using it as an anchor point to his thoughts, arranging his words in a way that'll hopefully make a lick of sense. that it's fuller than momo's glass, well. either he doesn't notice or thinks he might need the extra cushioning. near timidly, he reaches out to take it. ]
There's so much to talk about, I'm not really sure where to start.
[ a laugh. it's nervous. ]
Besides ending up in a similar place to the crater, that is.
[Momo has pieced some small amount together from what Ryuu mentioned and was trying to hide back on the planet surface, but he imagines going to a whole other world entirely needs a minute. So he'll give him a second to piece things together in his head, placing his glass down for a moment to add a tidbit of his own.]
By the way, the person who mentioned he'd met me somewhere else called that place Aefenglom, so I don't think it was the same one as you talked about. [It was still weird to hear that he was apparently in a whole other world and doesn't remember it, but hearing that Ryuu was in a similar situation makes it a bit more believable than hearing it from a total stranger.]
But starting from the beginning is fine, isn't it? We have the time to spare.
[None of them are yet at the mercy of a schedule quite as brutal as what they came from. It's nice, in a way, though to Momo it serves as too much of a reminder of what he's missing.]
[ for a moment, ryuu holds the wine glass without drinking any. a surefire sign that his poor brain is working overtime. the thought of other other worlds is certainly an alarming one, but he has to quietly stow that for later, or he'll never find focus enough to get through all the things he wants to say. ]
No, it's not the same place. [ from the beginning... ] I was in a city called Lunatia. It wasn't that different from here... there was a lot that reminded me of home, but there was a lot that was totally different too. Things like space travel, people who weren't human, mythical creatures. So much of it seemed like a storybook, or a television script.
[ heaving a breath, he leans back. ]
If you arrived there like I did, from another world, you were called Moonblessed.
[As Ryuu speaks, Momo adjusts his position slightly, crossing his legs in a slightly more comfortable manner, and grabs his glass again so he can lean back against the chair cushions. During the initial explanation, he takes another sip from it to disguise his consideration and processing of the new information. It sounds closer to this world than the previous one he heard about, so he can understand why Ryuu might be drawing comparisons.]
That's a cute title! Though if you were supposed to be blessed, was there something extra special about you all? [Getting closer to the point. Knowing now about the Synchrony system here, and the way Ryuu had asked on the surface whether there was anything happened when they touched, he has a working theory as to what the nature of the "blessing" might've been. Especially in consideration of what he's noted about Synchrony since they've arrived here.]
Since the people of this world seem to be asking us for something they can't do the same way themselves already.
[ he supposes part of what makes momo so easy to talk to is that he picks up on cues easily so ryuu isn't left to get caught up in how to convey the details. granted, that can be a double-edged sword with just how much he notices... ryuu finally takes a sip of his wine. a very long, fortifying sip. releasing the glass, he purses his lips in thought. ]
In this world, it's called manna... in Lunatia, it was called chroma. You could generate it by touching too, just like here. Instead of synchrony, it was moonlacing. [ which does clear up why he'd asked back in the crater. ] It was important, like food or water or anything else your body might need to survive. That's - how I got around to looking at it.
[ an indicator that such a thing hadn't been necessarily easy for him at first. ]
If you came to Lunatia from another world, you were influenced by one of its moons. There were three.
[That definitely explains why Ryuu had seemed to have some awareness of how things might work here in advance, and Momo's brows creep up a bit at the implication that Ryuu's been in two worlds that were similar in that respect. He's not surprised it took him time to come around - Momo's touchy-feely, but he's taking longer to come around to the idea of any Syncing deeper than a puddle - though at least not having the same kinds of rules on their work in a world like this might ease the process.]
"Influenced"? [That's a choice of word, and it's putting Momo in mind of werewolves or something similar. But presumably there's more to it than that, if there's three moons.] Was there any rhyme or reason to which one you were or what they did?
Um, well. You didn't get to choose. [ much like the nature of the gems currently embedded in their bodies. ] I'm not quite sure how it was decided... the only way to tell was that when a particular moon was in the sky, people under that moon changed.
[ and given the nature of the similarities here, he's a bit worried about what the potential physical changes could be, but he starts off easy. ]
People under Cordis, the blue moon, were thought of as amorous and indulgent. Iris was the purple moon... were really giving and affectionate.
[ he looks into his glass, remembrance making him hesitate. ]
The red moon was Sanguis. It made everyone under it violent and aggressive.
[Not getting to choose isn't a shocker given how things went here, but he did wonder if there were some kinds of traits that could be reliably identified within each group. It doesn't seem to be quite that simple here either, though, so he'll take the admission of not knowing easily enough.
He takes another sip of his wine, noting the lengthy pause before the third moon and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ryuu is a little bit obvious when it comes to this sort of thing, after all, even if he still looks a tiny bit surprised at the information when he actually gets it.]
Huh. That's pretty rude of it, to put someone kind and gentle like you under its influence. [Honestly, that's the kind of thing Momo might've expected himself to be under if he was in the same situation, if there was an element of drawing on one's baser instincts there. An amorous moon and an affectionate moon does kind of give him that impression. The thoughtfulness is replaced by a gentle concern soon enough, though.]
You look like you might've done something you regret, though. You can always talk to me about that stuff.
[Even if it's not outright that, there's something there that's made Ryuu hesitant to broach the topic, so he wants to make things as comfortable as possible.]
[ it's true that he can't lie to save his life, so while he does start a bit at the sudden comment on the rudeness of his former moonblessing, it's shortlived. that he's not practically chugging his wine in an attempt to use it as a buffer proves he's taking it seriously. knowing that hiding anything from momo is a fruitless endeavor, he relaxes in light of his senior's concern, but only so much. ]
My body changed, the way I thought about things changed. It was... frightening, in a lot of ways. I'm sure it was like that for everyone, and not just Sanguis! But for me, going out of control like that wasn't something I wanted to get used to.
[ it goes against everything he is, after all. his ero-ero reputation and adaptability aside. ]
I think... [ he he concentrates on the space between his knees. ] It went beyond even who President Yaotome wanted me to be, in the beginning.
[ you know, the appetite and the greed he was meant to embody. ]
[Momo can understand that, the sensation of feeling out of control of yourself. He believes there's a certain amount of it that happens to all of them just by their line of work, and inability to be completely candid about themselves in a lot of situations, but that's a different level to actively being influenced into another state of mind and lack of control.
Still, Ryuu's choice of wording and the way he's looking very much not at Momo when he says that last thing makes the implications hit home a bit more, and he gives a light, understanding sort of laugh to try and not let things get too serious.]
Aww, did that moon steal my chance to slowly corrupt you into a proper ero beast? That's a shame. [But if it really did come with those kinds of urges, the discomfort and hesitation is logical enough, so he rolls back around to a more appropriately senior-ly tone after a moment.] How far beyond? I'll admit, as long as you're getting up to this kind of business in a world where it's more acceptable than it is in ours, I think you shouldn't worry too much about any expectations from home.
[Not completely discard them, necessarily, but if he's concerned about having broken the no intimacy rules, Momo is already feeling like this world would make it just about impossible, let alone one that actively influences and incites people into it through those moons.]
[ he can't help it, a smile eases back through his features when momo punctures the seriousness of the moment. his thumbs trace the shape of his wine glass, its contents still mostly untouched. so he might feel a little teased, but not judged. already, that calms the waters around his heart. his face though? still red as can be. ]
It - I wouldn't call it "proper", exactly...! [ a quiet laugh sticks in his throat, almost all breath. like he's holding it in. ] I told myself something similar, while I was in Lunatia... every time I felt like things were going to get out of hand, thanks to Sanguis. There were a whole different set of expectations.
[ mostly that they either were at constant war with their moon, if the urges were the complete opposite of their character, or that they could form a truce with it, using whatever justification that they liked. briefly, he wonders - will it be the same here? ]
There were still people who trusted me, when I was like that. And chroma was really important. Like food, or water...
[Momo just grins cheekily for a moment at that, but he lets Ryuu get where he's going with his words...for a while, at least. After a point, with those halting words and the attempts to justify himself with how important chroma was and that people were still trusting him, along with the tangent they'd been on already, the whole brunt of this finally clicks for Momo, and he makes a slight humming sound as if of sudden understanding.
And then puts his glass down, and crosses his arms over his knees with an easy, joking smile.]
Ryuu, however many people you had sex with, it probably wasn't half as many as Yuki before he started working with me. If that's what you're worried about, I'm the last person who's going to judge you for it.
[He just...says it. He might've been naive back then, but it was impossible to miss Banri griping about it when it came up or the way they look back on it now - the way Ban still rips Yuki for supposedly being loyal to the three great desires of food, sleep and sex. So even though it became out of the question the minute they were sincerely aiming to succeed, to him Yuki was just as much an idol in the years with Banri, so the idea of idols hooking up on the side is perhaps not as scandalous to Momo as it would be to others.]
[ as much as he'd tried to soften the blow of having to admit on the barest level what he'd done, momo makes short work of balling up his worries and chucking them directly back into the calm waters of his life. the thunk noise it makes as it hits home and rattles around his insides is probably all but audible. only when it settles does he feel like he can move again.
and immediately, he near sinks into the couch, head in his hands. ]
You say that, but somehow I don't feel at ease at all...
[ not a denial. sure, they all as a group - re:vale, TRIGGER, IDOLiSH7 - seem to get away with a lot but...
he's already had one near-career destroying experience, alright. his heart is delicate. ]
[Momo can't help but laugh at Ryuu's almost comedic despairing state, actually getting up so he can reach across the table to pat him on the head. He knows sometimes his very...direct way of talking about certain topics doesn't always go the best with Ryuu, but in this case he felt like it was better than letting him scrabble around for the answers and draw it all out even further.]
Come on, what are seniors for if not sharing your sordid escapades with? I want all the details, Ryuu-chan, I have to think about what I missed getting pictures of...
[He's just going with the comedic route out here for now, because he knows why Ryuu is probably having a particular issue with this sort of thing, but he doesn't want to drop the equivalent of a cartoon ten ton weight on the mood.]
[ while the headpats are nice, it just makes him want to shrivel down further in self-admonishment. he knows it serves him right for trying to skirt around the topic, but some details just linger on in his forthright heart as things he ought to keep to himself - if not for the sake of his career, then for the sake of his equally moonblessed partners. he's not the type to kiss (etc.) and tell?! (which is news to him, as he's never actually been put on the spot to before.) never has the rift between what he's marketed as and what he actually is seemed so very wide and yet so very bridged at the same time. ]
I'm not sure I could explain everything to you even if I wasn't too embarrassed to think about where to start... Sanguis was really difficult.
[ nailing himself to the wall yet again with the implication that there is
[Momo is definitely taking that as a sign that Ryuu has been up to A Lot and that not all of it was probably socially acceptable even in a broader sense, but he has a small amount of mercy here. Ryuu looks like he's ready to wither away into the couch, and he doesn't quite want him to die of embarrassment before he can explain his doings a little more.
So he comes around the table to squeeze in next to him and clap him bracingly on the back instead, because clearly trying to low-level Sync might help? Or something. It might make it easier to tell what's on his mind, at least.]
Well, we have all the time in the world! Starting at the beginning is easiest, but I promise I won't judge you for any of it. Maybe just tease you a bit.
[At least he's honest about that part, though it is also meant to keep the mood a bit on the lighter side.] But I want you to feel comfortable talking to me, you know? Will it help if I hug you? Or give you some more wine so your shame goes away?
[There are two kinds of people and Momo is both of them.]
[ despite himself, the physical contact does help beyond the initial jolt of the couch cushions jostling. syncing doesn't make things any more clear from ryuu's side - just a draining and muddled vortex of "oh my god" and "please no". but when confronted, ryuu is hard pressed to take anything to his grave, which is a critical flaw in having his heart perpetually smeared on his sleeve. breathing out a completely pathetic noise, he straightens up... a little. ]
I'd like more wine and a hug, I think.
[ it - well. it's a little shameful, but at least that much is honest. ]
[Meanwhile, the surface impression from the Syncing on Momo's side is...
...well, he's laughing a lot less hard at Ryuu than he could be. There's definitely an impression of bubbling amusement that's somewhat tempered by sympathy, though with such a scarce type of Syncing, that's all that can really be felt. He'll at least reward Ryuu's honesty by reaching over to refill both their glasses, and then moving Ryuu's right in front of him and ignoring his own so he can wrap his huge junior in something that somehow manages to be a bear hug despite Ryuu being so much bigger than Momo.]
That's the spirit! Let it all out, and Momo-chan will pamper you for it, that's a good trade-off, right?
[Probably. Being affectioned all over by Momo is definitely some kind of reward.]
[ he has to admit that the bear hug actually helps. at the very least, the force of it knocks a weak laugh out of him in a way that feels almost normal, given the circumstances; the irony that he's usually the one dispensing gestures like these isn't lost on him. if this were him in momo's shoes, he's sure he'd want to be met with honesty too, embarrassment aside. not that knowing makes the heated color in his face ease any. ]
Your persuasiveness is really something else, you know?
[ without knocking him loose, ryuu reaches for the glass of wine, using his long reach to hook his arm up over momo's to take a (too) long sip. ]
I don't think the "beginning" is as interesting as it might seem... I told you that it was scary, so I kept to myself a lot at the start. I had a lot of different features from my normal body and I didn't want to risk hurting anyone.
[ sure, the impulses were there, but for better or worse, ryuu never felt like he got too beyond his own control. but he has always been a cautious person when the stakes are high. ]
[Momo gives a cheeky little laugh when he manages to get one out of Ryuu, like he's happy he managed to do it. Considering how preoccupied Ryuu seems to have been with all this and even the prospect of having to tell him, it's nice to get some actual levity that's not Ryuu dying of embarrassment at having the actual topic of this conversation called out.]
Of course! It's a skill I've developed with a ton of care. [Because he's had to, in all his years in the industry. How to persuade particular kinds of people, the best way to angle things in his favour...it's almost natural at this point, identifying how to do that with whoever he meets. But he certainly has the advantage using it against his juniors.
That said, he continues hugging as Ryuu explains, if making the hug a bit less squishy so it's marginally less awkward for Ryuu while he talks.]
Oh, that sounds like a you thing to do. But did people try to track you down or check up on you or whatever after a while?
[He finds it hard to believe people would just let Ryuu disappear for a certain amount of time every month.]
[ it's not like ryuu wouldn't have come clean eventually, given the similar natures of these two cities he's been spirited away to. though the expectation for intimacy isn't technically there, he doesn't trust the gems to not function similarly to the moons. better to explain before anything too wild happens... right? ]
They did... of course. When I first got there, I didn't really know what to expect out of being Moonblessed. It's not like there's a script! I got caught off guard the first time, so I tried to keep it a secret after that.
[ it's hard to find the single violent bone in his body, and yet sanguis had unearthed it with chilling ease. ]
My own Moonblessing wasn't the only problem, either. Both Cordis and Iris seemed to provoke Sanguis quite a bit... but they all fit together well too.
[ saying nothing of pheromones and heat - he knows zero things about a/b/o?? ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
▴ momo
but he's a man of his word, momo's persuasive talents aside, so when his conversations ebb, he goes about pulling on a hoodie and leaving to visit his senior. it's not a long enough trip to get worked up on, but he still finds himself...
nervous. ]
Momo-san? [ he knocks twice. ] I'm here!
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You already know you can come in, Ryuu-chan, you don't have to knock! [He pulls the door open, waving Ryuu inside with one hand. Momo's apartment here is not too large for one person, per se, but it is very obvious it's actually intended for two people, even before seeing the closed door to an additional bedroom. And, besides a few small bits of decoration he's managed here and there, small pictures and trinkets (it actually looks like he managed to get some photos of Yuki from his home phone to his new one and print them...) the apartment is already turning into what all Momo domiciles that he's not sharing with Yuki currently turn into - "organised" chaos which mostly just looks like normal chaos. There's a bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table, but they're sharing the space with a bottle of nail oil, several more bottles of nailpolish, and a shirt that's half fallen off one side like it was thrown there at some point. There are soft couches on either side of it, and Momo drops himself onto one and crosses his legs, resting his head in his hands and wiggling his painted toenails in a rather silly image of curiosity.]
You've been settling in okay, right? You're in one of the houses, aren't you?
[How does he know this? Somehow. It's Momo, don't question it.]
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Hi, Momo-san.
[ entering the same with just that, he relaxes when he sees that it already looks lived in. necessities first, right? untucking his hands from his hoodie pockets, he ventures around to take a seat across from momo. ]
Yeah, I haven't had any trouble with anything so far. I tried an apartment at first, but... in the end, Gaku and Tenn decided to stay with me again after all.
[ well, more like he and tenn decided and gaku wasn't given a choice, but from ryuu's perspective, it's sorely needed familiarity. ]
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As Ryuu explains the housing situation, Momo leans forward to unscrew the wine bottle - it's nothing expensive this early on, so it's not even corked - and pour himself some, and then lean over to pour Ryuu some as well. A visible amount more than Momo has, too.]
Well, it's nice to all live together, isn't it? And it's nicer that you actually got to choose this time. [Instead of being forced together by circumstance.] At least that'll make all of you easy to check on! But that's not really what we came here to talk about, is it?
[He winks knowingly before taking a sip of his wine, watching Ryuu with that dissecting sort of look he sometimes takes on when he's deconstructing someone for as much information as he can get without them speaking it.]
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[ ryuu contemplates the wine glass for a long moment. it's obvious he's just using it as an anchor point to his thoughts, arranging his words in a way that'll hopefully make a lick of sense. that it's fuller than momo's glass, well. either he doesn't notice or thinks he might need the extra cushioning. near timidly, he reaches out to take it. ]
There's so much to talk about, I'm not really sure where to start.
[ a laugh. it's nervous. ]
Besides ending up in a similar place to the crater, that is.
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By the way, the person who mentioned he'd met me somewhere else called that place Aefenglom, so I don't think it was the same one as you talked about. [It was still weird to hear that he was apparently in a whole other world and doesn't remember it, but hearing that Ryuu was in a similar situation makes it a bit more believable than hearing it from a total stranger.]
But starting from the beginning is fine, isn't it? We have the time to spare.
[None of them are yet at the mercy of a schedule quite as brutal as what they came from. It's nice, in a way, though to Momo it serves as too much of a reminder of what he's missing.]
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No, it's not the same place. [ from the beginning... ] I was in a city called Lunatia. It wasn't that different from here... there was a lot that reminded me of home, but there was a lot that was totally different too. Things like space travel, people who weren't human, mythical creatures. So much of it seemed like a storybook, or a television script.
[ heaving a breath, he leans back. ]
If you arrived there like I did, from another world, you were called Moonblessed.
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That's a cute title! Though if you were supposed to be blessed, was there something extra special about you all? [Getting closer to the point. Knowing now about the Synchrony system here, and the way Ryuu had asked on the surface whether there was anything happened when they touched, he has a working theory as to what the nature of the "blessing" might've been. Especially in consideration of what he's noted about Synchrony since they've arrived here.]
Since the people of this world seem to be asking us for something they can't do the same way themselves already.
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In this world, it's called manna... in Lunatia, it was called chroma. You could generate it by touching too, just like here. Instead of synchrony, it was moonlacing. [ which does clear up why he'd asked back in the crater. ] It was important, like food or water or anything else your body might need to survive. That's - how I got around to looking at it.
[ an indicator that such a thing hadn't been necessarily easy for him at first. ]
If you came to Lunatia from another world, you were influenced by one of its moons. There were three.
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"Influenced"? [That's a choice of word, and it's putting Momo in mind of werewolves or something similar. But presumably there's more to it than that, if there's three moons.] Was there any rhyme or reason to which one you were or what they did?
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[ and given the nature of the similarities here, he's a bit worried about what the potential physical changes could be, but he starts off easy. ]
People under Cordis, the blue moon, were thought of as amorous and indulgent. Iris was the purple moon... were really giving and affectionate.
[ he looks into his glass, remembrance making him hesitate. ]
The red moon was Sanguis. It made everyone under it violent and aggressive.
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He takes another sip of his wine, noting the lengthy pause before the third moon and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ryuu is a little bit obvious when it comes to this sort of thing, after all, even if he still looks a tiny bit surprised at the information when he actually gets it.]
Huh. That's pretty rude of it, to put someone kind and gentle like you under its influence. [Honestly, that's the kind of thing Momo might've expected himself to be under if he was in the same situation, if there was an element of drawing on one's baser instincts there. An amorous moon and an affectionate moon does kind of give him that impression. The thoughtfulness is replaced by a gentle concern soon enough, though.]
You look like you might've done something you regret, though. You can always talk to me about that stuff.
[Even if it's not outright that, there's something there that's made Ryuu hesitant to broach the topic, so he wants to make things as comfortable as possible.]
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My body changed, the way I thought about things changed. It was... frightening, in a lot of ways. I'm sure it was like that for everyone, and not just Sanguis! But for me, going out of control like that wasn't something I wanted to get used to.
[ it goes against everything he is, after all. his ero-ero reputation and adaptability aside. ]
I think... [ he he concentrates on the space between his knees. ] It went beyond even who President Yaotome wanted me to be, in the beginning.
[ you know, the appetite and the greed he was meant to embody. ]
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Still, Ryuu's choice of wording and the way he's looking very much not at Momo when he says that last thing makes the implications hit home a bit more, and he gives a light, understanding sort of laugh to try and not let things get too serious.]
Aww, did that moon steal my chance to slowly corrupt you into a proper ero beast? That's a shame. [But if it really did come with those kinds of urges, the discomfort and hesitation is logical enough, so he rolls back around to a more appropriately senior-ly tone after a moment.] How far beyond? I'll admit, as long as you're getting up to this kind of business in a world where it's more acceptable than it is in ours, I think you shouldn't worry too much about any expectations from home.
[Not completely discard them, necessarily, but if he's concerned about having broken the no intimacy rules, Momo is already feeling like this world would make it just about impossible, let alone one that actively influences and incites people into it through those moons.]
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It - I wouldn't call it "proper", exactly...! [ a quiet laugh sticks in his throat, almost all breath. like he's holding it in. ] I told myself something similar, while I was in Lunatia... every time I felt like things were going to get out of hand, thanks to Sanguis. There were a whole different set of expectations.
[ mostly that they either were at constant war with their moon, if the urges were the complete opposite of their character, or that they could form a truce with it, using whatever justification that they liked. briefly, he wonders - will it be the same here? ]
There were still people who trusted me, when I was like that. And chroma was really important. Like food, or water...
[ he's saying all this, but it's halting. ]
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And then puts his glass down, and crosses his arms over his knees with an easy, joking smile.]
Ryuu, however many people you had sex with, it probably wasn't half as many as Yuki before he started working with me. If that's what you're worried about, I'm the last person who's going to judge you for it.
[He just...says it. He might've been naive back then, but it was impossible to miss Banri griping about it when it came up or the way they look back on it now - the way Ban still rips Yuki for supposedly being loyal to the three great desires of food, sleep and sex. So even though it became out of the question the minute they were sincerely aiming to succeed, to him Yuki was just as much an idol in the years with Banri, so the idea of idols hooking up on the side is perhaps not as scandalous to Momo as it would be to others.]
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and immediately, he near sinks into the couch, head in his hands. ]
You say that, but somehow I don't feel at ease at all...
[ not a denial. sure, they all as a group - re:vale, TRIGGER, IDOLiSH7 - seem to get away with a lot but...
he's already had one near-career destroying experience, alright. his heart is delicate. ]
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Come on, what are seniors for if not sharing your sordid escapades with? I want all the details, Ryuu-chan, I have to think about what I missed getting pictures of...
[He's just going with the comedic route out here for now, because he knows why Ryuu is probably having a particular issue with this sort of thing, but he doesn't want to drop the equivalent of a cartoon ten ton weight on the mood.]
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I'm not sure I could explain everything to you even if I wasn't too embarrassed to think about where to start... Sanguis was really difficult.
[ nailing himself to the wall yet again with the implication that there is
a lot.
to explain. ]
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So he comes around the table to squeeze in next to him and clap him bracingly on the back instead, because clearly trying to low-level Sync might help? Or something. It might make it easier to tell what's on his mind, at least.]
Well, we have all the time in the world! Starting at the beginning is easiest, but I promise I won't judge you for any of it. Maybe just tease you a bit.
[At least he's honest about that part, though it is also meant to keep the mood a bit on the lighter side.] But I want you to feel comfortable talking to me, you know? Will it help if I hug you? Or give you some more wine so your shame goes away?
[There are two kinds of people and Momo is both of them.]
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I'd like more wine and a hug, I think.
[ it - well. it's a little shameful, but at least that much is honest. ]
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...well, he's laughing a lot less hard at Ryuu than he could be. There's definitely an impression of bubbling amusement that's somewhat tempered by sympathy, though with such a scarce type of Syncing, that's all that can really be felt. He'll at least reward Ryuu's honesty by reaching over to refill both their glasses, and then moving Ryuu's right in front of him and ignoring his own so he can wrap his huge junior in something that somehow manages to be a bear hug despite Ryuu being so much bigger than Momo.]
That's the spirit! Let it all out, and Momo-chan will pamper you for it, that's a good trade-off, right?
[Probably. Being affectioned all over by Momo is definitely some kind of reward.]
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Your persuasiveness is really something else, you know?
[ without knocking him loose, ryuu reaches for the glass of wine, using his long reach to hook his arm up over momo's to take a (too) long sip. ]
I don't think the "beginning" is as interesting as it might seem... I told you that it was scary, so I kept to myself a lot at the start. I had a lot of different features from my normal body and I didn't want to risk hurting anyone.
[ sure, the impulses were there, but for better or worse, ryuu never felt like he got too beyond his own control. but he has always been a cautious person when the stakes are high. ]
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Of course! It's a skill I've developed with a ton of care. [Because he's had to, in all his years in the industry. How to persuade particular kinds of people, the best way to angle things in his favour...it's almost natural at this point, identifying how to do that with whoever he meets. But he certainly has the advantage using it against his juniors.
That said, he continues hugging as Ryuu explains, if making the hug a bit less squishy so it's marginally less awkward for Ryuu while he talks.]
Oh, that sounds like a you thing to do. But did people try to track you down or check up on you or whatever after a while?
[He finds it hard to believe people would just let Ryuu disappear for a certain amount of time every month.]
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They did... of course. When I first got there, I didn't really know what to expect out of being Moonblessed. It's not like there's a script! I got caught off guard the first time, so I tried to keep it a secret after that.
[ it's hard to find the single violent bone in his body, and yet sanguis had unearthed it with chilling ease. ]
My own Moonblessing wasn't the only problem, either. Both Cordis and Iris seemed to provoke Sanguis quite a bit... but they all fit together well too.
[ saying nothing of pheromones and heat - he knows zero things about a/b/o?? ]
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