(no subject)

[i_peace]

🌸 Who: Keiwa + anyone else
🌸 When: Throughout January... And maybe February too.
🌸 Where: Yumemigaoka + Dream Sphere
🌸 What: He's back from spending New Years with family! And recovering from a failed hunt/a cold. :(

Comments

Usubeni Community Garden - January 14-17

[i_peace]

[Keiwa can be found, bundled up in a scarf, gloves and a coat, helping the fundraiser stand at the Usubeni Community Gardens. The way he's bundled up looks a little like a fluffy winter tanuki, though the down coat he's sporting isn't nearly as fluffy as a furry woodland creature.

Rather than showing off his (nonexistent) plot of gardening space, Keiwa's actually helping with the food stalls that have been set up for the fundraiser! Plants and gardening was all well and good, but he's much more comfortable cooking food than he was caring for plants]

The prices for everything's listed here! [he gestures to a small, handwritten sign next to him with a small menu (though you can probably smell the roasted sweet potatoes and sweet zenzai from several blocks away) and price list] Everything on sale is handmade, so please purchase some to help support the local community!

[he's pretty enthusiastic about this, considering how shy he normally is. Is this what a tanuki that has locked in looks like?! Though he stops every once in a while to go get some more hot tea for himself. The headache he has from the failed Torment Hunt was still plaguing him. You might catch him muttering to himself during a break while huddled over a hot bowl of zenzai;] It usually goes away in a week, right?

[deadwishes]

[Poor, poor Keiwa. He tries so hard, doesn't he? Tsukasa isn't blind to this! He sees it.

But unfortunately for poor Keiwa, even if Tsukasa can respect the grind and the true effort this tanuki puts into it all, Tsukasa has got to Tsukasa. So without any warning (how is this kid so quiet?!), he is behind Keiwa.]

What usually goes away in a week?!

[If he scares you, sorry. But well, not really. Scaring Keiwa is hilarious.]

[i_peace]

[the startled scream could probably be heard a block away as he jumps out of the chair he had been sitting in. It's only because he's used to being startled while carrying coffee at the Camellia that the zenzai remains mostly intact]

Huh?!

[a couple of the older volunteers have stopped to check to see if everything's okay but go back to their tasks once Keiwa gives them an okay... A few passerbys are laughing at the response though. The person in question turns around to look at Tsukasa, thoroughly flustered]

Wh-when did you get here?

['how' would have been a good question too, considering Keiwa could have sworn that the younger Yugi twin wasn't here several minutes ago]

[deadwishes]

[Tsukasa does not even react to scaring Keiwa. He doesn't laugh or jump. His smile staying on his face. Ever present.]

Ages ago!

But you don't look good.

[i_peace]

Ages- Huh?

[he's holding his bowl of Zenzai up protectively (of the bowl or for himself? Who knows!) but he relaxes after being sure that Tsukasa doesn't have a follow up prank. The ever present smile doesn't even bother Keiwa anymore. At this point, he'd probably be more trouble if Tsukasa wasn't smiling...]

Um... [he reaches up to touch his own forehead but it's hard to tell between his fingers being warmed by the food and the cold weather] What?

[deadwishes]

[He puts a finger to his chin.] Hmm, how do I put it...? You look like you tried really hard and it didn't go well.

Well. That's how it usually goes for you, huh? But worse! Are you feeling okay? Do you need a cough drop?

[When in doubt, a cough drop always helps.]

[i_peace]

[there's a strained little chuckle at that first part]

Tsukasa-kun is as perceptive as usual...

[he sounds a little defeated, considering Tsukasa's usual lack of tact but, well... It wouldn't be Keiwa if he didn't take the (un)intentional insult with his usual patience. Besides, the offer of a cough drop was as good an indication as any that the younger Yugi twin was just trying to look out for people in his own way.

Keiwa shakes his head to turn down the cough drop though]

What brings you all the way out here? Oh- We have some extra zenzai, would you like some?

[deadwishes]

Exploring. But then I saw you.

[It was a hobby he always had and one he wouldn't be stopping any time soon. Even the cold doesn't stop him. Though what he does when he explores? As good a question as any and not one he will answer. You got to have some secrets!

And then he saw his favorite target employee. It was always a good day when he got to see Keiwa.

He lights up at the offer of zenzai and nods.]

I can really have some?

[i_peace]

Tsukasa-kun... [there's a worried smile at that. He trusts that the young boy knows better but it's with the tone of someone saying it more out of reflex] Just don't go anywhere you're not supposed to, okay? Your parents will be worried.

[he reaches over to ruffle Tsukasa's hair gently before standing up to go ask for another bowl from the older lady managing the booth. Keiwa comes back with an extra (still hot) bowl in hand]

Here.

Only one bowl though. If you want another one, you'll have to donate some money for the garden.

Tomoe-24 - Late January

[i_peace]

[towards the end of the month, you might run into Keiwa at a Tomoe wearing a mask, even more wrapped up than he was before and looking a little under the weather. He's holding a shopping basket with a box of pills, some hot patches and a few easy to make/eat meals inside, plus some vitamin jelly drinks.

Keiwa looks a little out of it - the sort of look one has when the cold symptoms are beginning to manifest - and maybe ignoring the warning signs while volunteering was a bad idea after all?

He shrinks back abruptly when he senses someone approaching]

Oh- Sorry! It might... be better if we keep some distance.

[his voice has the telltale raspy sound of someone who is starting to get sick]

[reluctants]

Huh?

[ At first she seems a little confused as to what he means, but.. well, with the way Keiwa is looking it sure doesn't take a genius to figure out why he might want to keep others at a slight distance.

It immediately softens the look in the girl's eyes, and she does keep a relatively respectful distance from the other, not wanting to get sick - or Keiwa to feel bad for making her sick too. ]

Are you sick? Is it bad..? [ Sure, Keiwa is still walking around, so technically it couldn't be that bad.

But maybe he's pushing himself. ]

[i_peace]

[Keiwa gives her an apologetic smile as he adjusts his mask carefully. His tone is light though, even through the extra rasp]

I might have caught a cold. [stating the obvious there, buddy] It doesn't feel too bad right now, but it's probably better I don't let it get worse. Hence...

[here he wiggles his shopping basket to emphasize, holding back a cough as he does]

How are you? Staying warm?

[reluctants]

[ The girl nods. And she does seem to be telling the truth - she's wearing a nice winter coat and a scarf and all! Her caretakers wouldn't let her leave the house unless she was adequately protected against the cold. ]

I'm sorry that happened.. Colds are the worst!

[ Wow, look. At least one thing Illya dares to protest out loud without feeling too shy about it. Maybe she just thinks this is universal enough of a truth to be able to proclaim it like this.. ]

Keiwa-san, you have to kick that cold's butt!

[i_peace]

[there's a startled blink when Illya brightly tells the cold off. After a moment, Keiwa laughs weakly - weakly because he unintentionally starts coughing again when the laugh. He's mindful to cough away from Illya (and the shelves).

But his eyes are in the shape of happy crescents, so she's at least successfully cheered him up!]

If you're cheering me on then I'll have to do my best! [pause] Though maybe I'll drop into the Dream Sphere when I'm not feeling too tired.

[reluctants]

[ .. hmmm...

Illya isn't sure how to feel about that one. Especially since she isn't sure if Keiwa would make sure that he's feeling a lot better before dropping in there, and she isn't sure if it's a good idea to go to the Dream Sphere while he's still sick..

But then again, the idea of telling someone off is Scary. Even someone who would surely take it as well as Keiwa would. So the girl decides on a middle road - trying to address it in a more indirect way.

For example, starting with-- ]

Do you think it's just a normal cold? I mean.. um, it's not something you caught in the Dream Sphere somehow, right? [ A magical girl cold.. ]

[i_peace]

[she knows him so well...]

Huh? [he blinks in confusion at the question before stopping to actually consider it] Can you catch a cold from the Dream Sphere...?

[then he shakes his head slowly]

No... Well, technically, a few other Dreamers and I were knocked out by one of the Hatsuyume Nightmares earlier this month. So that left me with a headache... [pause, then the lightbulb goes off in slow motion] Oh. I wonder if it overlapped?

[even with Tsukasa pointing it out, Keiwa hadn't drawn the line. Or maybe he did, and had forgotten about it in the middle of his work shifts and volunteering]

[reluctants]

[ Illya gasps. ]

See?!

[ She's suddenly growing a little bit more intense.. But rather than being excited about potentially being right, it's more that she's getting kind of worried for Keiwa at the very thought of this.. ]

It could be something you got from the Dream Sphere! A-And in that case-- It's probably way more than a cold! [ It could be bad, Keiwa! This could be on a 'someone sure should look at that' level! What if she caught something right before it got worse, and she's saving your life right now?! ]

Dream Sphere; Facet Lagoon - Late January

[i_peace]

[it's late in the month when he caught his cold but it does mean that the after effects of the failed Hunt have worn off and Keiwa is free to go into the Dream Sphere once again. There's not much else he can do at home other than sleeping, taking some cold medicine and maybe making himself something hot and easy to eat (he wishes he had thought to buy more ginger, but alas...)

So he's been checking in at the DU Headquarters in the Dream Sphere. His new traversal ability makes it easy enough for him to move on ice, preventing him to slipping too far on ice when moving around or even sinking into the snow. A very helpful ability when fighting in the Frozen Lagoon!]

... This isn't too bad.

[he's mumbling to himself a little off to the side, though he stops every now and again to cough. Oddly, he seems to be in perfect health while fighting. Maybe his cold only catches up to him in Dreams when he has time to think about it?]

But if your first Dream of the year is getting ejected from the Dream Sphere, would that be considered extremely bad luck?

[flatcola]

Sounds like you need to summon a baku.

[ Or just find the nearest zoo and stick your head in the tapir enclosure. ]

Although if that worked it would've worked for all of this by now.

[i_peace]

A baku...?

Ah, like the city's mascot? [he smiles, cheerful] That would be cute. And it would make our lives a bit easier if that did work.

How are you holding up?

[flatcola]

They eat nightmares, after all.

[ They just need that to happen for real. Maybe they should pool together the mental energy of Dreamers to create a Baku God, that can't go wrong. ]

I'm upright and walking in a straight line, at least.

[i_peace]

Heeeeh... [Tycoon rocks back and forth a little bit before smiling cheerfully] That would be useful. Just eating up those Nightmares in one big bite.

[he makes a small bite gesture with his hand]

That's... Wouldn't that be considered the bare minimum...?

[flatcola]

But nothing can ever be easy huh?

[ Or else it might not even become a problem at all. ]

Yeah. The bare minimum feels pretty acceptable sometimes.

[i_peace]

... [he sputters out a laugh at Mind's attitude, a far cry from Ai's own cheer and Zeke's... Zeke-ness. The laughter turns into coughing in short order and he has to take a minute to get himself back under control] If it works, it works... Or something?

It's fine if some things are difficult, right? It makes it more satisfying when you see it through to the end... Outside the Dream Sphere, at least. Just doing the bare minimum in the Dream Sphere sounds like it might lead to trouble.

[he looks worried, because Torments come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and just walking around sounds like a recipe for disaster]

[flatcola]

[ They need a Mind. Every group needs the sarcastic one. ]

It works. Trust me, I'll hold up. I've been through a lot of shit already.

And I know how to avoid trouble that I can't handle by myself.