[Even that vigour irritates Rui, right now. The dance isn't unpleasant to watch by any means, which only sets his teeth on edge even more; any other day he might simply nip down and join in, determined to do better and show this headstrong brute how it's meant to be done.
Sigh. It's not as though he can tear himself away, is it? (And in a moment, when he realises it's only himself he can smell, he probably won't bother even then.) Although he's not about to drop down into the courtyard, risk putting himself into arm's reach in such a state, he definitely slinks closer, closer until he's leaning over the gutter of the nearest building, tails lazily waving behind him. Look at his magnificence, know that you perform for the noblest yokai you've ever seen, twerp.]
You'll trip over yourself, if you don't tighten up your footwork.
[ There's no surprise when he breaks off from the choreography as elegantly as he can to spin on his heels, even adding a flourish as he lands to properly face the nosy little fox up on the roof. ]
And how could you even gauge the quality of my footwork so far away for so long, voyeur?
[ A tease more than an honest insult. Tsukasa's always made it more than obvious that while he values the spirit of competition to keep him on his toes, this is indeed more of a friendly rivalry than anything hostile.
Which is fortunate, considering the difference between spotting an enemy and a friend watching you so keenly from a distance. ]
If it was anywhere near your best work, then you would take it as constructive criticism, wouldn't you?
[This is better. Eases the gnawing in his belly that just watching had only stoked. He smiles, eyes sparking as if to meet the tanuki's challenge, and his tails only flit back and forth faster still.]
Or do you have time to play, right now? Ah, to be a tanuki with no worries or thoughts.
I could say the same for you, having enough free time to be lazing around on rooftops.
[ He strikes a--well it's not nearly as dramatic as his proper ones, but the only way to describe it is a pose, parasol planted in front of him like a walking cane as he leans on it with both hands. ]
Or perhaps you were craving my company in particular and sought me out all over town, hmm?
[ Bud, you know where each other lives. It wouldn't take long. ]
My free time is for hunting. Or observing, so that I can better hunt, fufu~ If that means that I have to be subjected to your clumsy dancing, then so be it.
[It's probably not the wisest idea, but Rui delicately alights onto the ground almost completely soundlessly, smile vulpine as he eyes Tsukasa up like a particularly tempting display dessert. Doesn't he stink of his own pheromones yet, drenched in them, tails wafting them about? Maybe this is salvation, being around company too dense to even notice such a refined smell.
That's an emboldening thought. He even gets brave enough to reach one foot out and kick the parasol's tip from under its wielder, giggling softly all the while. Should the tanuki fall, however, Rui won't just let him fall right away, so it's fine.]
Perhaps you were the one searching for company, parading about here so brazenly?
[ Whatever comeback he had is swept away much easier than the parasol. It's an awkward sight, how Tsukasa tries to recover, because he sure does fall and it doesn't seem like getting the weight back under him so he can stop that from happening is a priority.
The priority is keeping the parasol in front of him.
But, well, both of those are out thanks to kitsune intervention. Please have mercy so he doesn't fall flat on his face? ]
[Ah, truly a joy. For being so brash and talented, this darling little tanuki's way too earnest for his own good; Rui keeps on giggling as he swings him back upright, then
he lingers there for a moment, inhaling deeply with blown pupils, before darting back as if simply touching Tsukasa has burnt his very being. Just like that, he forces his tails to disappear once more, and shakes his hands out to wick away the buzz underneath his skin.]
Hm. You-- your footwork. You need to learn how to fall better, at the very least.
[ Whether Rui will notice or not is hard to say, but there's certainly a Reaction to being handled so closely. A shiver first and foremost, riding alllll the way from head to toe, almost knocking him off his feet again once he's upright.
Whatever it was doesn't quite shock him out of his humanoid shape, skilled as he is at the transformation, but once he has control of his limbs again the hands brushing himself off sure are suddenly clawed. ]
O-one normally doesn't expect toe audience to touch--to interfere. With the performance.
[ Perhaps a baffling move now, all dusted off and steady, he squats down right where he is. Parasol still in front of him, but loosely cradled by folded arms this time. ]
Although if I can expect more ruffians in my audiences, maybe the idea has merit.
[Isn't it just more proof of their compatibility, that where one forces himself back under cover, the other lets his slip? Two sides of a coin, perhaps.
Or perhaps he's trying to justify the pull he's feeling. The one he's trying to dismiss as base instinct and nothing more. The one that has him looking at those claws and burning up as images of them digging into his skin spring up unbidden.]
You say that as if your own feet aren't your biggest enemy, which was my point.
[At last, Rui finally looks Tsukasa in the eye
if only to raise his brows at the sudden change in posture. Concentrate on being a snotty little shit, this is fine, think not about thine loins] ...I'm not about to attack you, you know. You can stand unmolested.
Phrasing. [ A valiant attempt at keeping that under his breath, considering his. Everything.
But no, he'll just scoot with his feet so he isn't facing Rui anymore. Maybe it would be a little less petulant of a display if he wasn't practically making himself a ball on the ground, but here we are. ]
I'm actually quite comfortable down here, thank you. Think I'll have a sit and relax for a while.
positively suspicious. His brows raise a touch more, less smug and more genuinely intrigued. Sorry Tsukasa, you're getting circled again...Before Rui also squats beside him, anyway.
He's really pushing his luck on this one. He knows he is. It's part of kitsune nature though.]
Let me join you then, since I'm apparently tired enough to lose track of my tongue. It's the season for yokai to become complacent, after all; we should always be prepared, and therefore fully rested, fufu. [And he forces a yawn, the sort of yawn that's full mouth, all teeth bared, tongue quivering from the force of it.]
[ Oh he picked the wrong time to glance over, getting an eyeful of those teeth and that quivering tongue. He doesn't have time to hide the way his eyes widen, his suddenly dry lips pulling into a thin line, and how perhaps his widened eyes linger a little too long for it to be a casual glance before he practically rips them away. ]
--b-busy, in one way or another.
[ One hand starts to worry at the wooden handle of his parasol, up and down in an attempt at something idle. ]
Suppose I can't blame anyone for enjoying beautiful weather, but you're right. It does make some...complacent.
[Despite all attempts to keep himself in perfect, cold control, Rui doesn't even notice when his tails lose their glamour once more, waving mischievously at the tanuki's blatant distraction. His eyes pointedly flit to that rubbing hand, then back up to Tsukasa's face with a small smile.]
Shouldn't you be busy too? Tanuki need to breed more voraciously than most-- or do I have it wrong, and your drive to breed is lowered since you father a litter at a time? I've never thought much about what might happen to you during this season, you know.
[He scoots closer. Just a touch. Could've just been him shifting. Innocent shit.]
[ Okay, let's try and regain even a little of that composure. Which includes sitting himself back upright, since it was like he'd been physically blown away by the force of the question. A-hem, ]
Not that it's any of your business, but I'm...I'm not partnered, so that isn't a concern for me.
Can acquaintances not chit-chat about seasonally relevant topics? I've just learned something new about Tsukasa-kun, after all~
[Ah, now we're using his name, are we?] And here I would've thought that you'd be quite popular amongst the tanuki ladies...Or other yokai, if you wished to weather the season with them before becoming a father.
[At least Rui looks rather pleased with that bomb of a reaction, tails swishing even more excitedly and smile distinctly widening, vulpine once more.] A strapping young thing like yourself should be doing more than dancing alone. That's what I think. And yet...Here you are...A pity, truly...
[Now it's Rui's turn to be knocked over, at least mentally. He almost reels for a moment, before averting his gaze.
...How is it that, even if he's just had a little victory, he still somehow feels as though he's lost?]
I see. That sounds just right, for you. [No barbing, no taunting, just the slightly wistful tone of someone who doesn't want to impose himself on Tsukasa.] Do you have your eye on anyone? I could go and spy on them for you first.
[ He tries to follow Rui's eyes when he looks away, leaning ever-so-slightly to keep a good look at his face, but at the question Tsukasa's suddenly fine back in his own bubble. ]
...You'd be surprised at what I'm capable of~ This might even be a test for me, who knows?
[There's
he's
He's not dumb. He's reading into this exactly as much as he needs to, and yet, that still feels like it's too much. Just force on that cheer once more, smile away, pat the tanuki on the shoulder, hee hoo.] In fact, it might even serve as a wonderful little distraction; I can't say that I have anything lined up for the season either, so I might as well occupy myself with your love life.
[ It's difficult to place exactly what's going on behind Tsukasa's eyes in this moment. There's definitely something there, swirling, threatening to burst out at any moment if he isn't careful, and after one, two attempts at opening his mouth to finish that sentence he does something most unlike him and gives up. ]
I had a plan, Rui.
[ Kind of. His head goes into his hands, despondent, the only reason his next words are legible from his self-imposed panic muzzle being his volume. ]
It was going to be magnificent, I had a place, clothes, a script, but you're here, now, and I can barely think you smell so divine...!
[ He's back up, and looking at Rui like the fox had done something truly awful to him. ]
How am I supposed to recite poetry when you're already outshining its beauty!?
his ears, for they've absolutely also lost their glamour, are fully facing forward, lilac foxfire licking away at their shells (and the tips of his tails). It's a blessing that he's not smiling with teeth, else Tsukasa might be faced with how sharp they've suddenly become.
In short, Rui's self-control is hanging on by the thinnest thread, a rapidly fraying rope keeping it in bondage. The tanuki is little better than a meal, at least under that hungry gaze.]
Such words...That honest nature of yours is far better than any poetry, even coming from your mouth. And that ego of yours will be your undoing, little tanuki~
[No pretence now; Rui slips out of the squat and onto his knees, crawling over in an attempt to knock Tsukasa onto his back and loom over him, or at least get closer.] What clothes did you have in mind? Tell me about them. Tell me about how good I smell, and what you were going to woo me with, so that I would be swept up so much that I'd have no choice but to breed you!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
c deez NUTZ aha gottem
Sigh. It's not as though he can tear himself away, is it? (And in a moment, when he realises it's only himself he can smell, he probably won't bother even then.) Although he's not about to drop down into the courtyard, risk putting himself into arm's reach in such a state, he definitely slinks closer, closer until he's leaning over the gutter of the nearest building, tails lazily waving behind him. Look at his magnificence, know that you perform for the noblest yokai you've ever seen, twerp.]
You'll trip over yourself, if you don't tighten up your footwork.
FOILED!!!!!
[ There's no surprise when he breaks off from the choreography as elegantly as he can to spin on his heels, even adding a flourish as he lands to properly face the nosy little fox up on the roof. ]
And how could you even gauge the quality of my footwork so far away for so long, voyeur?
[ A tease more than an honest insult. Tsukasa's always made it more than obvious that while he values the spirit of competition to keep him on his toes, this is indeed more of a friendly rivalry than anything hostile.
Which is fortunate, considering the difference between spotting an enemy and a friend watching you so keenly from a distance. ]
YOU ALMOST GOT ME TOO I SAT THERE FOR A MINUTE
If it was anywhere near your best work, then you would take it as constructive criticism, wouldn't you?
[This is better. Eases the gnawing in his belly that just watching had only stoked. He smiles, eyes sparking as if to meet the tanuki's challenge, and his tails only flit back and forth faster still.]
Or do you have time to play, right now? Ah, to be a tanuki with no worries or thoughts.
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[ He strikes a--well it's not nearly as dramatic as his proper ones, but the only way to describe it is a pose, parasol planted in front of him like a walking cane as he leans on it with both hands. ]
Or perhaps you were craving my company in particular and sought me out all over town, hmm?
[ Bud, you know where each other lives. It wouldn't take long. ]
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[It's probably not the wisest idea, but Rui delicately alights onto the ground almost completely soundlessly, smile vulpine as he eyes Tsukasa up like a particularly tempting display dessert. Doesn't he stink of his own pheromones yet, drenched in them, tails wafting them about? Maybe this is salvation, being around company too dense to even notice such a refined smell.
That's an emboldening thought. He even gets brave enough to reach one foot out and kick the parasol's tip from under its wielder, giggling softly all the while. Should the tanuki fall, however, Rui won't just let him fall right away, so it's fine.]
Perhaps you were the one searching for company, parading about here so brazenly?
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[ Whatever comeback he had is swept away much easier than the parasol. It's an awkward sight, how Tsukasa tries to recover, because he sure does fall and it doesn't seem like getting the weight back under him so he can stop that from happening is a priority.
The priority is keeping the parasol in front of him.
But, well, both of those are out thanks to kitsune intervention. Please have mercy so he doesn't fall flat on his face? ]
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ah]
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he lingers there for a moment, inhaling deeply with blown pupils, before darting back as if simply touching Tsukasa has burnt his very being. Just like that, he forces his tails to disappear once more, and shakes his hands out to wick away the buzz underneath his skin.]
Hm. You-- your footwork. You need to learn how to fall better, at the very least.
[Ahem.]
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Whatever it was doesn't quite shock him out of his humanoid shape, skilled as he is at the transformation, but once he has control of his limbs again the hands brushing himself off sure are suddenly clawed. ]
O-one normally doesn't expect toe audience to touch--to interfere. With the performance.
[ Perhaps a baffling move now, all dusted off and steady, he squats down right where he is. Parasol still in front of him, but loosely cradled by folded arms this time. ]
Although if I can expect more ruffians in my audiences, maybe the idea has merit.
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Or perhaps he's trying to justify the pull he's feeling. The one he's trying to dismiss as base instinct and nothing more. The one that has him looking at those claws and burning up as images of them digging into his skin spring up unbidden.]
You say that as if your own feet aren't your biggest enemy, which was my point.
[At last, Rui finally looks Tsukasa in the eye
if only to raise his brows at the sudden change in posture. Concentrate on being a snotty little shit, this is fine, think not about thine loins] ...I'm not about to attack you, you know. You can stand unmolested.
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But no, he'll just scoot with his feet so he isn't facing Rui anymore. Maybe it would be a little less petulant of a display if he wasn't practically making himself a ball on the ground, but here we are. ]
I'm actually quite comfortable down here, thank you. Think I'll have a sit and relax for a while.
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suspicious
positively suspicious. His brows raise a touch more, less smug and more genuinely intrigued. Sorry Tsukasa, you're getting circled again...Before Rui also squats beside him, anyway.
He's really pushing his luck on this one. He knows he is. It's part of kitsune nature though.]
Let me join you then, since I'm apparently tired enough to lose track of my tongue. It's the season for yokai to become complacent, after all; we should always be prepared, and therefore fully rested, fufu. [And he forces a yawn, the sort of yawn that's full mouth, all teeth bared, tongue quivering from the force of it.]
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[ Oh he picked the wrong time to glance over, getting an eyeful of those teeth and that quivering tongue. He doesn't have time to hide the way his eyes widen, his suddenly dry lips pulling into a thin line, and how perhaps his widened eyes linger a little too long for it to be a casual glance before he practically rips them away. ]
--b-busy, in one way or another.
[ One hand starts to worry at the wooden handle of his parasol, up and down in an attempt at something idle. ]
Suppose I can't blame anyone for enjoying beautiful weather, but you're right. It does make some...complacent.
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[Despite all attempts to keep himself in perfect, cold control, Rui doesn't even notice when his tails lose their glamour once more, waving mischievously at the tanuki's blatant distraction. His eyes pointedly flit to that rubbing hand, then back up to Tsukasa's face with a small smile.]
Shouldn't you be busy too? Tanuki need to breed more voraciously than most-- or do I have it wrong, and your drive to breed is lowered since you father a litter at a time? I've never thought much about what might happen to you during this season, you know.
[He scoots closer. Just a touch. Could've just been him shifting. Innocent shit.]
/2
[ RIP your eardrums, dude, but you don't just ask a dude why he isn't fucking! Geez!! ]
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Not that it's any of your business, but I'm...I'm not partnered, so that isn't a concern for me.
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[Ah, now we're using his name, are we?] And here I would've thought that you'd be quite popular amongst the tanuki ladies...Or other yokai, if you wished to weather the season with them before becoming a father.
[At least Rui looks rather pleased with that bomb of a reaction, tails swishing even more excitedly and smile distinctly widening, vulpine once more.] A strapping young thing like yourself should be doing more than dancing alone. That's what I think. And yet...Here you are...A pity, truly...
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What I'm not is some common cad. If I'm going to be "weathering the season" with anyone it has to be someone special, someone important to me.
I haven't found them yet, that's all.
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...How is it that, even if he's just had a little victory, he still somehow feels as though he's lost?]
I see. That sounds just right, for you. [No barbing, no taunting, just the slightly wistful tone of someone who doesn't want to impose himself on Tsukasa.] Do you have your eye on anyone? I could go and spy on them for you first.
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I...well.
I'm not sure even you could pull that off.
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[There's
he's
He's not dumb. He's reading into this exactly as much as he needs to, and yet, that still feels like it's too much. Just force on that cheer once more, smile away, pat the tanuki on the shoulder, hee hoo.] In fact, it might even serve as a wonderful little distraction; I can't say that I have anything lined up for the season either, so I might as well occupy myself with your love life.
[and how!]
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[ It's difficult to place exactly what's going on behind Tsukasa's eyes in this moment. There's definitely something there, swirling, threatening to burst out at any moment if he isn't careful, and after one, two attempts at opening his mouth to finish that sentence he does something most unlike him and gives up. ]
I had a plan, Rui.
[ Kind of. His head goes into his hands, despondent, the only reason his next words are legible from his self-imposed panic muzzle being his volume. ]
It was going to be magnificent, I had a place, clothes, a script, but you're here, now, and I can barely think you smell so divine...!
[ He's back up, and looking at Rui like the fox had done something truly awful to him. ]
How am I supposed to recite poetry when you're already outshining its beauty!?
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[oh dear]
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his ears, for they've absolutely also lost their glamour, are fully facing forward, lilac foxfire licking away at their shells (and the tips of his tails). It's a blessing that he's not smiling with teeth, else Tsukasa might be faced with how sharp they've suddenly become.
In short, Rui's self-control is hanging on by the thinnest thread, a rapidly fraying rope keeping it in bondage. The tanuki is little better than a meal, at least under that hungry gaze.]
Such words...That honest nature of yours is far better than any poetry, even coming from your mouth. And that ego of yours will be your undoing, little tanuki~
[No pretence now; Rui slips out of the squat and onto his knees, crawling over in an attempt to knock Tsukasa onto his back and loom over him, or at least get closer.] What clothes did you have in mind? Tell me about them. Tell me about how good I smell, and what you were going to woo me with, so that I would be swept up so much that I'd have no choice but to breed you!
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