AW 4.5

[21:07] Dreaded, this task. Checking on Yuri? Why did they have to? There's no care right now for this action, trailing behind him and spying the boy on a bench.

Jianyu moved to stand behind him, first alerting him with a hand to his shoulder.

"Going off and causing troubles with outbursts. What the Hel has gotten into you?" Their hand quickly moved and they sat on the bench a comfortable distance away from Yuri.
(Jianyu Xi)
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[21:10] The hand broke Yuri from this long trance he had been in, staring out towards the seas. A mere glance is offered towards Jianyu before they move to sit at a reasonable distance. A shake of Yuri's head came, eyes darting to the ground.

"I don't know. I... I-I just felt that thing, like.."

He huffed lightly.

".. Like you were a Demon or something. And a push. Right behind my back. It like a hand, telling me to go forward, to take care of it. It.. More than just told me."

He frowned, obviously still disturbed. He'd opened up, because no one else had come, but still remained wary.

"Why did you come?"
(Yuri)
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[21:21] "How rude. I can be a bit unpleasant but, I'm nothing like a demon."

Rude, really. Their arms folded as they sat away from the Knight. "You've got whispers now? Mh? They must be invasive." And too strong for the frail heated boy, even if he swung around a sword more impressive than he was.

"It's weird seeing you not be a stuttering mess, that's why I'm here."

Distance broke for a moment. Narrow hues met the boy before they scooted closer, initiating contact as a dainty hand pushed against his cheek.

"Voices are loud. Drown out whatever you hear. Yell and get angry at them and they'll cower."

"You can shrink any feeling like that."
(Jianyu Xi)
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[21:27] Yuri hadn't expected physical contact to come again so soon. When a hand pressed up against his cheek his eyes shifted off to the far side, attempting to avoid a direct confrontation. Explaining the heat that rose up underneath Jianyu's touch would've been a bigger mess than what he'd done in the square.

"I... It's not a voice. It's. It's like a p-push. It just-" He looks down, relaxing enough to bring his left hand up to catch Jianyu's own with its grasp. A squeeze. Firm enough to show his growth and overuse of a weapon ill-suited for him.

".. I don't think it's bad. It... only came around when I fought Demons before. A.. After that hound bit me."

Emerald hues finally drift to their hands, which Yuri had decided not to let go of just yet.
(Yuri)
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[21:27] * You have been awarded 1 Roleplay Points! *
[21:33] "A voice, a push, an urge. Be louder than the stuff you don't want to feel, okay?"

His hand came to theirs, squeezing it rather firmly. How unexpected for a boy as himself but maybe so considering the weapon he swung around.

"When I brought you back? Maybe it's a good thing. Isn't that what you're all about? Fighting the bad things...?"

Narrow hues peer at him, lips curling ever-so gently to a small smile. Their shadow lurked, as always, feeding on their feelings, feeding them feelings, acting as a general, quiet nuisance.

"Yuri, are you afraid?" Eyes meet his as he looks at their hand. Along it slight fading discoloration, like a rash that was healing. "You couldn't do anything bad to me. So, don't be afraid of this change..."

Their head turned to the water. "It's much better than you being scared shitless, anyway."
(Jianyu Xi)
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[21:40] Maybe it's a good thing.

Yuri wasn't sure of that. What if he couldn't control those feelings and keep them in check? What if he started attacking other people out of them? That push wasn't something he even understood, let alone know where it came from.

The smile on Jianyu's lips was caught and managed to draw one on Yuri's own lips. Even after they fought he couldn't help but be happy when he saw that uncanny, odd expression that almost didn't fit Jianyu as much as a scowl did.

"T-That's... my secret. I'm always afraid." He answered. The hand that had been lended found a thumb brushing against the back of it briefly, and a question to come with it.

"Are you afraid of making friends?"
(Yuri)
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[21:47] "You're always afraid?" Jianyu nearly pulled their hand back as they felt his thumb trace along them but, for purposes of this task of theirs, their hand remains.

"I suppose I have a secret, too: I'm also always afraid." Whether he believed it or not was on him. To scream louder than unwanted feelings went with fear as well.

"I hate making friends because I hate you all. You'll just drive a knife into my back."

Jianyu looked back to Yuri, their head tilting and causing the mess of ivory locks to dangle down. Narrow iced orbs upon him with soon straightening lips. "I promised my time with you all will be short and sweet. Because I can't it in me to trust you all, to even pretend to. It goes against all I was raised with."

"So, perhaps I am. Why go through that effort just to be hurt in the end? I would rather be without it, really."

"But..."

Their hand stayed. Digits did flex on occasion. "It gets lonely. Were I to not experience you all and your weird urge to befriend me, I would be fine."
(Jianyu Xi)
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[21:59] Eventually that grasp came to a release. He had said his words, and played his part. This wasn't him trying to get closer to Jianyu, after all. He was... merely showing the other that he cared. That there was something between them, whether the Shengese wanted to see it or not.

".. Y.. You keep telling me to stop being afraid, b-but you're just.."

A small, nervous laugh escaped him.

"You're too scared to even trust people that you like."

His eyes fled to the side, away from Jianyu. He felt as if they wanted to belong, in a way. Why else would they come back again and again if that weren't the case? Why were they here if it weren't the case?

"I.. I've at least got a handle on being scared."
(Yuri)
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[22:02] Buttons had been pushed as he released their hand. It soon went and smacked against the back of his head. Nothing painful but surely out of nowhere.

"Shut up."

Distance formed once more as they moved themself away from Yuri, eyes on the water with a slight scowl plastered along their features.

"I have reason not to. I'm practically forced to, anyway." Eyes soon roll, annoyed. "Regardless, they're worried about you for acting weird so let's go back."

Jianyu turned on the bench to face back towards Nysea and rose to their feet.
(Jianyu Xi)
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[22:08] A hit behind his head left him leaning forward a bit, and a hand came up to rub at the back at it. He took his time to rise up to his feet in order to rejoin the others back in the square, passing a comment as he did.

".. S-So you do like us."

That was all that needed to be said. For it to be acknowledged and known. Even if Jianyu may be the biggest idiot and the most emotionally stunted kid on the block, they still cared.

Good.
(Yuri)