[Jamil had noted comparisons between the magic of his own world and this world. There were cardinal elements. There was a link to human emotion. Over-use would result in a strain on the health of the person. This, though? This was something completely different. Rather than just a matter of his magic being an expression of himself, there was suddenly a way their magic could communicate which was another whole mess of thoughts and feelings.]
[And they punctuate it all with pleasure like some sick kind of behavioral conditioning.]
... Right, I would be heading that way anyways.
[After all, he was competent enough to arrive and fill out all the paperwork in a timely fashion.]
And our holding hands will only stand out if you make it obvious. It doesn't seem to be a huge deal, here.
I feel better knowing you won't be going out your way...
[ like, emotionally better. physically? that's still up in the air.
though the flow of manna does seem to be bringing him down from the most immediate of the tensions that had locked up throughout his body like a band waiting to snap. unfortunately, willing his cheeks to cool seems like it won't be as easy of a process. he still looks... overexerted. ]
I guess it wouldn't be, with manna being so important... but it's not like I can really help it just yet. That was nervewracking!
[Even if the physical effects started to wane, he would still be embarrassed... this much synchrony should be able to avoid the worse effects he saw on his phone. That was what mattered.]
It's fine. [He says it in a way that's so certain that it might be heard as reassuring.]
People are very inattentive. It's very likely that no one noticed in the store. The only one who knows,
[a squeeze of the hand, a small smirk]
is me.
[And there's a pleasant feeling of ownership in that. I'm the only one who knows, I know your secrets, and I'll keep it because I like that.]
[ the brief and unexpected show of strength in the hold on his hand makes ryuu reel, like it's his lungs that are being squeezed rather than his hand. his body makes a half-leap, misconstruing the intent. it only hones on the feeling of more. swallowing thickly, ryuu's chin tucks downwards.
anyone else might consider it something of a forewarning, a precipice he ought to step back from. ryuu, even on a good day, doesn't often think to peel back the action to get at the intent underneath.
[There were levels upon levels that they were working at. There was intent, there was Ryuu's own body, then there was Ryuu's nature. There wasn't anything annoying like a pre-existing relationship between them, simply a kind of heat and fever warmed by the presence of Synchrony.]
[It made it nice to want, too. There was nothing to cloud up the feeling of simply enjoying how someone squirmed, the heat in their cheeks, and the power dynamics of meting like this.]
["Just you."]
[Take those words out of context, wrap them firmly in a cloth, hold them, I hope it's just you.]
And please don't worry. I'm good at keeping secrets.
I suppose I'd just have to take my chances if you weren't the type...
[ ryuu has been pretty forthright so far, even under the influence of the mystery spice. there's a sort of weakened pulse in his emotions when he says it, the involuntary shy back from a bad situation that's bitten him once before. but... if it's between being scarred for who he is and never experiencing anything for fear of it, he'll gladly choose the former.
that's why he pushes past the veil of heat that's overtaken his body. ]
[While obviously the situation here could be twisted or spun into something untoward, there really wasn't anything Ryuu had done wrong. He had been appropriately cautious of even holding Jamil's hand. He was being escorted home with the intent of dealing with it on his own.]
[Still, it was only a mild line of trust. Because he could twist, he could lie, he could use that power to blackmail or betray...]
[... but why would he? He wasn't like a certain octopus that held onto people's dirty secrets for fun.]
[Hm? Was it just as bad to take pleasure in the embarrassment, to hold onto the privacy of the information, and to simply know? No, see, there was a key difference. He wasn't Azul Ashengrotto.]
Hm, you think you'd let me push you around? If I weren't a good person?
[Not that he would even call himself a good person. So, really, the question is more "can I push you around?"]
[ though he's really giving every indication that he's quite mutable in situations where he's at someone's mercy. (in fact, it seems to be something of a talent.) leave it to ryuu to spin it as a positive thing, to cast a new light on an old problem that could lash out and bite him, if he's not careful.
self preservation? low. integrity? sky high. ]
It's kind of hard for me to imagine you being a bad person, like this...
[ he hasn't at all cottoned on to the possibilities that snake beneath the surface, the could-bes and the maybes. ]
[A "harsh" way of putting it. It was almost cute. Pushing someone around was a gentle brush of a term. What if he had said manipulate? Use? Well, if he had said such a thing then Ryuu wouldn't have nearly as good of an impression of him.]
[He gets the point, though. Even if he had been sharp in his choice of word, even if he had worn his potential malicious intent on his sleeve, this was a person who would try and overlook it. Same from the moment he'd tasted something offered by a stranger... a trusting idiot.]
[For now, though, he's fine with that.]
Hm, maybe I should have made you carry my bag or something of the like.
[A harmless example of pushing around, to reinforce the idea that he couldn't possibly be a danger. In reality, it's a single grocery bag, and he'd probably be annoyed if Ryuu had offered to take it out of some misguided need. When he's proposing it, though, it's the simple statement: if I asked you to carry my bag, you probably would.]
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no subject
[And they punctuate it all with pleasure like some sick kind of behavioral conditioning.]
... Right, I would be heading that way anyways.
[After all, he was competent enough to arrive and fill out all the paperwork in a timely fashion.]
And our holding hands will only stand out if you make it obvious. It doesn't seem to be a huge deal, here.
no subject
[ like, emotionally better. physically? that's still up in the air.
though the flow of manna does seem to be bringing him down from the most immediate of the tensions that had locked up throughout his body like a band waiting to snap. unfortunately, willing his cheeks to cool seems like it won't be as easy of a process. he still looks... overexerted. ]
I guess it wouldn't be, with manna being so important... but it's not like I can really help it just yet. That was nervewracking!
[ at least he keeps his voice low. ]
no subject
It's fine. [He says it in a way that's so certain that it might be heard as reassuring.]
People are very inattentive. It's very likely that no one noticed in the store. The only one who knows,
[a squeeze of the hand, a small smirk]
is me.
[And there's a pleasant feeling of ownership in that. I'm the only one who knows, I know your secrets, and I'll keep it because I like that.]
no subject
anyone else might consider it something of a forewarning, a precipice he ought to step back from. ryuu, even on a good day, doesn't often think to peel back the action to get at the intent underneath.
still warm all over, he nods. ]
...yeah. I hope it's just you.
[ otherwise? embarrassing. ]
no subject
[It made it nice to want, too. There was nothing to cloud up the feeling of simply enjoying how someone squirmed, the heat in their cheeks, and the power dynamics of meting like this.]
["Just you."]
[Take those words out of context, wrap them firmly in a cloth, hold them, I hope it's just you.]
And please don't worry. I'm good at keeping secrets.
no subject
[ ryuu has been pretty forthright so far, even under the influence of the mystery spice. there's a sort of weakened pulse in his emotions when he says it, the involuntary shy back from a bad situation that's bitten him once before. but... if it's between being scarred for who he is and never experiencing anything for fear of it, he'll gladly choose the former.
that's why he pushes past the veil of heat that's overtaken his body. ]
But if you say so, I won't worry.
no subject
[Still, it was only a mild line of trust. Because he could twist, he could lie, he could use that power to blackmail or betray...]
[... but why would he? He wasn't like a certain octopus that held onto people's dirty secrets for fun.]
[Hm? Was it just as bad to take pleasure in the embarrassment, to hold onto the privacy of the information, and to simply know? No, see, there was a key difference. He wasn't Azul Ashengrotto.]
Hm, you think you'd let me push you around? If I weren't a good person?
[Not that he would even call himself a good person. So, really, the question is more "can I push you around?"]
no subject
[ though he's really giving every indication that he's quite mutable in situations where he's at someone's mercy. (in fact, it seems to be something of a talent.) leave it to ryuu to spin it as a positive thing, to cast a new light on an old problem that could lash out and bite him, if he's not careful.
self preservation? low. integrity? sky high. ]
It's kind of hard for me to imagine you being a bad person, like this...
[ he hasn't at all cottoned on to the possibilities that snake beneath the surface, the could-bes and the maybes. ]
So, I won't!
[ tada. ]
no subject
[He gets the point, though. Even if he had been sharp in his choice of word, even if he had worn his potential malicious intent on his sleeve, this was a person who would try and overlook it. Same from the moment he'd tasted something offered by a stranger... a trusting idiot.]
[For now, though, he's fine with that.]
Hm, maybe I should have made you carry my bag or something of the like.
[A harmless example of pushing around, to reinforce the idea that he couldn't possibly be a danger. In reality, it's a single grocery bag, and he'd probably be annoyed if Ryuu had offered to take it out of some misguided need. When he's proposing it, though, it's the simple statement: if I asked you to carry my bag, you probably would.]