Video | un: zobrien | Backdated to 12/1

[flying_fish]

[For those of you who know the fishman behind the username...this person is certainly not a fishman showing up on screen. He may as well be a male model doing a photoshoot on the beach with the way he slicks back his dark, wet hair while going shirtless underneath that open jacket. (No, there's no real sparkles, you're just imagining things.) Some things are the same such as his hard-earned muscles and the weird black lines that run down his chest.

The human is undoubtedly Zed when he finally opens his mouth:]

If any of you were curious, the Potion of Pining can indeed transform you into a different species. Not unlike the moonblessings, but it's a more complete transformation.

[He pauses to rub a hand against his neck while taking a deep breath, almost as if he hasn't had fresh air in a long time.]

I would say that switching primary organs for respiration was the most difficult part, but adjusting comes fairly quick. [What a blessing to not immediately suffocate. And after a blink--]

Eyelashes are...weird. [He clears his throat, feeling a bit silly, and turns off the feed.]

Comments

[sweetsleuth]

[Slowly but surely, Zed will learn that Ranpo's true form is an annoying jackass.]

Hmmm... well, if you wanted to try a bunch of different things, I know a good buffet place in Higher Lunatia? They have all-you-can-eat, too!

[flying_fish]

[Noooooo, he likes his view of him as a cute catboy. Zed perks up a bit--]

As long as the buffet's not mainly fish and it won't empty my wallet...All-you-can-eat sounds nice. [A pause.] Let me head back to my apartment and change first.

[sweetsleuth]

[He's not taking the fishman to a seafood buffet okay there's just something Wrong about that.]

Don't worry, they have all kinds of things! I'll send you the address, and we can just meet there!

[It's definitely located in one of the nicer areas of Lunatia, but it's not so fancy that it'll be out of their price range.]

[But hm. When Zed arrives, he'll see Ranpo waiting for him outside. And despite it still being a good week away from Cordis, he has a pair of cat hears on top of his head.]

[flying_fish]

[Congratulations, Ranpo, you are a better person than his partner back in HL.

To be honest, Zed's wardrobe is practically bare since he's almost permanently stuck with his special top and gear, so he ends up arriving in a button-up underneath the jacket from earlier and slacks. This is as fancy as he can get, and it's mainly because it is a nicer place that they're going to. Because lunch date is just a friendly gathering. Heads have been turning his way during his travel, but he's at least glad it's not because he's nonhuman.]

I see you've also been to the Ware Wolf Shop. [Zed smiles at Ranpo when he arrives, and he goes the extra step to touch one of those ears before petting his hair in a teasing way. Payback!]

[sweetsleuth]

[It's hardly teasing when Ranpo's reaction to being petted is to lean up into his hand, even if it is more of a head-noogie than a proper pat. For his part, he's dressed just a bit nicer than usual... well, aside from the sloppily-tied necktie. He tried, okay.]

They do have some pretty interesting things there. I can't say I expected to walk out with a pair of cat ears, but I'm not complaining.

But you really do look different! It's a little weird to hear your voice come from that face, honestly.

[flying_fish]

[Considering he's never had to tie a tie for himself, Zed will be no help here. Except for reaching out to straighten it.]

They suit you. [And Zed's schema of Ranpo.] And of course I look different, I'm a different species now. You'll have to put up with it until the potion wears off.

[He looks at the restaurant next, and a dry smile appears:]

If the fee is high, we're going to holding hands. [Thank goodness chroma is so easy to make.]

[sweetsleuth]

[He lets him straighten it, and then immediately reaches up to loosen it, smh]

It's not that expensive! Well, they do charge me a bit extra since I come here pretty often. [Has Zed ever seen him eat?? This is gonna be something special -- Ranpo's appetite rivals a shounen protagonist.]

But you say that like holding hands is a bad thing!

[And on that note -- he takes his hand and leads him inside. The fee is a bit pricier than a typical restaurant, but considering it is all you can eat, it's not that bad.]

[...expect for Ranpo, who is charged nearly double for an "over-eater's fee".]

[flying_fish]

[WHATEVER, WHATEVER. HE TRIED.]

Hm, I guess you're right. [He meant it more teasing, but apparently he's been failing at that. So Zed squeezes Ranpo's hand as he's led along to the front desk. He finds Ranpo's admission to be kind of ridiculous, but then again maybe it's because he's a Cordis. Zed's quite oblivious to his stomach capacity. He also happens to notice one of the cashier staff ogling him and a camera flash off his peripheral...

And as they go around to get their food, the chief seems very eager to talk about how they cooked a dish he was going for. There's also eyes on them from other diners even when Zed returns to their table.]

...Is this what it's like for Cordis with pheromones? [He's used to being stared at, but at least people try to hide it.]

[sweetsleuth]

[He can certainly acknowledge that Zed is attractive right now, for all that he still prefers how he usually looks -- but the amount of gawking and attention he's racking up sure is something.]

...a little bit, but usually people are more handsy than this.

[Cordis pheromones in public are a bad time, honestly.]

[Also, important: Ranpo's totally made himself three plates of food. Two are desserts. This is totally normal.]

How's it feel being Mister Popular today?

[flying_fish]

[...If he doesn't eat all of it, then Zed will definitely be judging him for being wasteful.]

I'm glad it hasn't come to that. [If Ranpo were to get handsy, that's all well and good. He wouldn't be able to handle other people right now.] It's better than the other types of stares I get sometimes.

[It's said in an off-hand way, but there's a slight frown before he tries bite of the baked mac&cheese he picked out.]

[sweetsleuth]

...you shouldn't have to deal with that.

[He says it off-hand, but this is Ranpo. Zed hasn't experienced too much of Ranpo's seemingly supernatural perceptiveness, but he's able to read much more into that statement than Zed likely intended.]

[But he also won't let the mood get heavy, pouting.]

Especially with how varied the natives here are! One of my favorite sushi places is run by a couple of Koi prismals. If they didn't walk upright on two legs, they wouldn't look much different from the koi that swim in the water around Caihong.

[Yes, literally just giant fish with arms and legs. The less thought put into the fact that they own a sushi place, the better.]

[flying_fish]

[Bless Ranpo for trying to lift his mood. The prismals sound like they could've been pulled straight out of HL, and it gets a slight smile once Zed finishes his mouthful.]

A bit ironic, but fish do eat other fish... [Though he himself can't bring himself to do so.]

There are many different species back home as well. The stares were something I got used to even before coming here. It's fine. [Says the man whose ideal self is completely different from his original species.

Another flash goes off, and he looks a little more amused:] Maybe they think I'm someone famous. How unfortunate for them.

[sweetsleuth]

[He hardly needs to be a master detective to tell it's not as fine as he insists, but he's not going to call him out when he seems to have perked his mood up a little.]

[Also Ranpo's already finished half his food?? How?? He's gonna get up for seconds at this rate.]

Well, you do look a little like a movie star or something. I almost feel like I should have dressed up a little nicer to be having lunch with you!

[Only almost tho -- you can't improve upon perfection.]

[flying_fish]

No, I think you're just fine. [His smile turns more genuine as he reaches out to squeeze Ranpo's hand. It's true, holding hands really isn't such a bad thing.

...But seriously, where is all that food going and is he even tasting it? It feels like Zed's barely eating by comparison.]

How many plates do you usually have when you come here?

[sweetsleuth]

[Aww, how sweet... he squeezes his hand back, the smile on his face growing.]

[But also -- if he keeps holding it long enough, he's gonna make Ranpo start purring. Those ears aren't the only thing he got from that shop.]

Hmmm, maybe six or seven? It depends on how many desserts they have at the time.

[So yes, he's absolutely going to get seconds when all three plates are empty.]

[flying_fish]

[Ranpo gets a chuckle out of him because 1) yes he's going to hold on and that purr is adorable and 2) damn that's a lot of food.]

I don't know how you could do anything other than nap after all that. [But he does let go so the detective can finish the round of food and go off to get more.

Zed will stay back to finish off the pile on his first plate, although two confident Prismal women walk up to the table while Ranpo's away. Yup, that's an autograph being asked for, and Zed has to politely turn her down. The other asks if him and Ranpo are dating, to which Zed tells them with a flustered expression that that's not the case. The women look to each other, grinning, then go digging in their purses to hand over their business cards before finally turning to leave. (One blows a kiss, the other makes a "call me" gesture.)

Not really sure what to do with himself, Zed follows after Ranpo to the buffet area.]

I think I underestimated the potion's intended effect.

[sweetsleuth]

[Oh, the temptation to run over and drape himself over Zed to chase them off is strong but he's too busy balancing three plates of more food.]

I'd say underestimated would be an understatement in and of itself! You're really Mister Popular today.

[And, because he really can't help but tease--]

You're gonna make me jealous taking numbers from pretty women while we're on a date!

[flying_fish]

It's not like I really meant to, I'm just--...? [Wait, what?

A date? Seriously?

Ranpo may be teasing, but Zed stiffens as if caught in the headlights. He just thought he was using the word loosely before! A very real panic flashes over his face while he stays quiet, but it switches over to a sort of...stumped look like he just did some intense calculations but came up with an incorrect answer.]

...I thought you were dating Kunikida. [REMEMBER THAT DRUNK GROUP TEXT? Yeah, he got a certain impression!]

1/2

[sweetsleuth]

[WAR FLASHBACKS TO THE DRUNK GROUP TEXT]

[sweetsleuth]

No, I'm not. We're just friends.

[Who go on dates and fuck -- you know, the Prismatica Way™.]

[flying_fish]

Ah...........I made a wrong assumption then. Sorry.

[There's an awkward silence from Zed while he continues to look mildly confused because hahaha what are casual dates? How to even continue this conversation...]

Anyways, you have nothing to be jealous of. This is just a temporary effect. [Wrong type of jealousy, but okay.]

[sweetsleuth]

Kind of a weird assumption to make, after what we did in that hot spring.

[Just casually brings up lewds during lunch. Did he think they were dating then, too??]

But I'm glad it's temporary! I mean, you don't look bad or anything, but I like your real face better.

[flying_fish]

We weren't on a date beforehand. [His response is immediate even as he begins to add to his plate again. Almost-drowning and trauma don't lend well to a casual date.

Curiosity gets the best of Zed because he...doesn't get Ranpo's tastes. For real. What a confusing man.]

...I can understand if it's because my real face is what you're familiar with. Other than that, I don't understand why it would be more preferable than one matching your species.

[sweetsleuth]

I already know humans. They're a lot more predictable! But I've never met anyone like you before, so there's a lot I can't predict, even if I tried.

[This is something that will surely make more sense after he sees Ranpo's "ability" for himself later. But for now--]

But besides all that-- you look really cool! Like a character you'd see in a video game-- your face looks kind of kind Kamen Rider, actually! He's a famous Japanese tv superhero!

[As much as this sounds like he's mocking him, he is 100% sincere. His eyes are sparkling.]

[flying_fish]

[Definite foreshadowing here, yup. Zed, meanwhile, blinks at the first bit. It makes sense because his facial features don't lend well to expression compared to humans. So he likes the mystery of it? Fair enough. He at least gets that. But being compared to a superhero...?]

Kamen Rider...? Never heard of it, but thanks?

[It's hard to take seriously, yet Zed can tell that it's definitely supposed to be a compliment. Maybe Leo would've made a better connection to it.]