prismatica | video | un: konoha

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video | un: konoha

[Lunatia's resident centaur lady is back on screen, excitedly trying to... set her network device up somewhere where it can actually get all of a rather large frame into the shot. Not that she waits to start talking.]

Greetings, everyone! I didn't realize it's been months since I last used this for "posting"... There's probably so many new people, so, um, very quickly- If you don't know me, my name is Konoha! I'm a jinba... Or a "centaur" if you want! And oh, that's my husband, Gonta... and our friend, Mikuni! Say hello, you two!

[Catching sight of the other jinba behind her pausing in their field work, she moves the camera to show a large palomino fellow (Gonta) who gives a gruff nod and semi-wave, and an elegant ebony-coated gentleman? (Mikuni) who dips into a more proper bow with a little smile.]

We run the Tsurugi Farmstead in the Greatmoon Groves! There was a lot of damage when it flooded before, but thanks to everyone's efforts we're back up and running properly... and we've had our first fall harvest!

So... as a bit of a thank you, and also maybe to celebrate not dealing with those awful nightmares anymore, I thought we could have a hotpot party here by the river? In my village we usually make imoni in the autumn, it's so delicious! It's full of beef and taro root and leeks and konnyaku... Mmm!

[She finally gets the device set up properly and trots back into frame properly, obviously excited by the invitation she's making.]

Cordis is almost over, right? So now seems like a good time before Iris shows up... But if you have a Cordis appetite, don't worry! We'll supply all the imoni... or, the ingredients, anyway, it's more fun if you cook it outside with everyone. We also have fresh sweet potatoes, pumpkin, new rice... oh, and persimmons!

But if you want to share anything, feel free to bring your own dish, too! Let's say... tomorrow? I'll send directions for anyone who hasn't visited before, alright?

I hope we see you there! Er, here, I mean! If you have any questions, just let me know!

[And with a last smile, she gives a big, respectful bow from the "waist" before moving to grab her device, a muffled "Gonta, Mikuni, wait up- !" before the feed cuts, and a moment later a pin on the Lunatian map app becomes available.]

SENT:
📍 TSURUGI FARMSTEAD, GREATMOON GROVES

[ooc: there won't be separate log posted for this, but I'll gladly action tag within this post with anyone interested!]

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[Just because one has money (thanks, moonlacing) doesn’t mean one should waste it! ... Is Konoha’s philosophy, so. Aprons all around!]

It’s not a trouble at all. I’m just glad you came.

[She’d say the same even if he hadn’t brought soup! But looking at the apron, she kind of likes navy and yellow... it makes her think of summer, goodbye summer..,

But also-]

Oh... I didn’t notice, but Doumeki-san has a kind of dainty waist...

[Com... paratively speaking, anyway, to his broad shoulders! The only time she’d hugged him around the waist had been in the nightmare, and he’d been far thicker with equine withers and different musculature then.]

[ That's a good philosophy to have honestly... Doumeki only buys things when he needs it, so it's no wonder he's sitting on a mountain of it.

He nods at her words. He's happy to come, really. Now that she's the only other person he's told about his past besides Yashiro, she is basically Family. ]

Ah.

[ Doumeki looks down at himself. Now that Konoha mentions it, the apron does kind of accentuate his waist, doesn't it? ~~Dorito....~~ ]

I had not noticed either.

[ He thinks about it, like this is a very serious discovery. Is it because he's always wearing suits? His jackets make him look kind of boxy, outside of the one very nice suit that Yashiro got him. He never really pays his appearance much attention, so this really is new to him...

He blushes just a little. ]

Does it look alright?

[It is a serious discovery! And giving it the weight it deserves, Konoha splays her legs and dips lower to examine his waist and allow her to answer the question properly.]

Hmmm...

[Nibbling on her lip in concentration, she uses her hands held rigidly as if they were measuring sticks, holding them up to the edges of Doumeki's waist on either side as if to size him up. She widens the distance between her hands quite noticeably, comparing the size of his waist to the only other one she's intimately familiar with, but Gonta was nearly nine feet tall and a a ton of muscle-bound jinba flesh, so it's not... really a fair comparison...]

Hmm...

[She glances up, though, and sees... Blushing? Is Doumeki blushing? It's faint, but-]

Y- Yeah!

[Intent on making sure to sound convincing even when her personal preference was far more chunky, (she could still appreciate muscles in all their variations!), Konoha eagerly pats the sides of Doumeki's waist before realizing that's probably super weird and quickly switching over to uselessly "fixing" the way the apron ties are arranged.]

It's nice! Like you'd be a good dancer!

[ Doumeki's never really had someone look at him with this much scrutiny before. Well, not since Yashiro, anyway, and that was back when he was sizing him up to decide whether or not he'd make a good bodyguard (or whether or not Yashiro wanted to sleep with him.)

It's been a long time. And he does work out, to stay in shape and stay strong to protect Yashiro. So he's maybe a little self-conscious, he can't help the blush, really. ]

A dancer...

[ Does Yashiro like dancers...? Well, Yashiro has told him lots of times that he likes his body (and especially certain parts of it,) so maybe it's okay if he's not Konoha's type. He's Yashiro's type, that's all he needs. ]

No one has ever told me that before.

[Working out is such a silly concept to Konoha, though she's tried to understand it. Future world people didn't often have to do much manual labor or physical jobs, apparently, plus they had all those technology things that made their lives way easier, so... Sure!

Apron ties "fixed", she straightens back up to find she's blushing a bit too now in some weird sort of sympathetic reaction... and also it just kind of happens when she thinks about muscles. Specifically ones that belong on men who are big, gruff, palomino, and currently occupied awkwardly hovering around an imoni pot.]

Y- yeah? Do they not really do festival dances or stage plays in your future Japan? You look like you could be one of those hero character players.

[The village women of the human variety sometimes fawned over woodblock prints of those men, so she knows a bit about it!]

It's like... a pretty strength!

[As opposed to, you know. Raw strength? Rough strength? She doesn't know!]

[ Well, he'd probably get more of a workout if the whole crime thing were a little more prevalent in his life, but nobody needs to know about that...

It's ok to have a type, Konoha. Yashiro would understand, he too, likes them chiseled and buff. ]

Oh. I have not done so in a long time.

[ He hadn't been in the Shinseikai long enough to help out at festivals, but maybe as a kid he'd taken part in one or two shows... playing a quiet, stoic deity or maybe a tree. You know the type.

Still, her words bring the lightest flush to his cheeks right back. But this time there's a light, almost relief in his eyes. ]

Thank you, Konoha-san.

[ He will take pretty strength over scary strength any day. Doumeki has never wanted to look scary or intimidating, it's just a byproduct of how he is that allows him to pull off those looks. But a pretty strength... the words remind him of Yashiro. He likes that quite a lot. ]

[Oh, but he seemed... flattered? Maybe? So Konoha feels relieved almost instantly, a content little smile curling the corners of her lips back up.]

No? I used to dance in my village's harvest festival every year...

[And she misses it. Misses home, and all the things that are familiar, but... today is a good day in Lunatia. People seem to be having a nice time. It's fine.

And to thank him for being such a good sport... It's time for his favorite topic.]

Do you and Yashiro-san go to events like this a lot back home? Or- I guess they would be... fancy city parties not things like this but...

[Until he starts drunkenly hitting on her husband, Yashiro's a very welcome guest at this imoni party! ... He still will be, but. Just on the other side of the stream.]

The Shinseikai is not heavily involved in cultural affairs. And I am not much of a dancer.

[ But maybe he'll try it, if Konoha says it would suit him. He'd always thought he was kind of too much of a brute to do it, but you already know why Doumeki is so hard on himself, don't you, Konoha?

Ah, but speaking of home, she beings up Doumeki's favorite subject of all. She's really getting to know him so well! (Anyone can pick up on this part, Doumeki.) ]

We did not much, no. All of the Doushinkai's major events are attended by the captain of each family and their lieutenant. I am the lowest rank in our family, as I have not exchanged cups with anyone in the family.

[ Oh my god, it's finally come up in a thread, DOUMEKI ISN'T EVEN A REAL YAKUZA!!! Thank you, Konoha. Doumeki prefers these kinds of parties to the Doushinkai parties any day. ]

[Look, anyone can be a dancer if they just dance... ! Just no guarantees if they'll be good at it. But- You could do it, Doumeki! Konoha believes in him... as long as people put effort into something they can usually be at least decent at it, as far as she's concerned!

At this point, she's picked up a little bit more about what the is yakuza thing Doumeki sometimes mentions is... but even without more specific knowledge, she's quite familiar with the concept of cups as contract. And she can't help the furrow in her brow and the cock of her head.]

Eh- You are?

[Wasn't he the bodyguard of someone important? Or... wait, did Yashiro only seem really important to her because he was so important to Doumeki? And if he wasn't really a part of this group... She sidles closer, enough to subtly (by her standards) reach down to poke his hand with a questioning look. The one with the missing finger portion.

Who is putting him in position to make mistakes that need to be apologized for like that if he isn't even an official yakuza person??? ... And also who is accepting that finger but not his cup??? Her sense of hierrchy is all a twirlygig.]

[ That's the spirit, Konoha! But yeah, Doumeki probably shouldn't be surprised that people think he's a higher rank... I mean, he is. Because he's Doumeki. But since he's the only other member of the Shinseikai here, that technically makes him high-ranked by default. ]

Yes. It may sound strange since I...

[ Well, he knows the missing finger is usually a sign of a real yakuza. ]

This was my choice. No one forced me... Yashiro-san did not approve.

[ Even if he has a better understanding now, of why Yashiro doesn't like it, and perhaps even why Yashiro never had him properly integrated into the family... Doumeki flexes the fingers on his left hand, turning it over. ]

I had only been part of the Shinseikai Family for three months before arriving here. [ Doumeki actually pauses there, like he's taking note of this now. ] I have spent more time with the boss here than I have at home.

[ No wonder they're already dating, damn. ]

Edited (icon) 2020-10-10 18:50 (UTC)

[Doumeki you make some questionable, digit-cutting choices... But considering Konoha's ignorance of yakuza life intricacies, she can't exactly comment on them too critically. (Yet.)]

Three months...

[So... Alright, maybe that made sense, then... She's had employees on the lumber yard who only lasted a few months, she didn't really trust men with certain tasks if they hadn't proven themselves at least two seasons, so. Maybe applying her lumberyard foreman experience to yakuza work isn't the best comparison, but. It's what she's got!

And rather than letting him dwell on finger removing-causing mistakes... She focuses on the positives.]

Has it really been longer here?

[Congratulations, perhaps? She's not sure yet, but she tries to count the months off on her hand. When had she met and hired Doumeki... That wasn't necessarily the month he arrived... But it's a commonality as well, so she gives him a friendly bump with her withers, a cheeky smile working it's way back to her face.]

I've known my husband longer in Lunatia than I did at home, too!

[Not "been married to". "Known". ... Konoha may not quite realize yet how strange that often sounded to people. What- Did people not marry people they'd only known for two seasons in the future?]

[ He sure does... (Don't judge them, it's fine. Crime is fine.)

But Doumeki nods. Those three months changed his life more than he could have ever imagined. They'd changed Yashiro's too, but don't call him out on it or he'll get really tsun. A lot can happen in a short amount of time when you're a yakuza. ]

We have been in Prismatica for six months now, I believe.

[ Hard to believe in three months he'd already cut off his finger and in six months they've started to almost date successfully. That's wild. Still he appreciates her gesture, for the chroma and the physical reassurance. He's known Konoha longer than 3 months, too! ]

You must truly love him.

[ Marrying a guy you've only known for a few months? Sounds romantic. Doumeki is a big sap, so of course he doesn't think that's weird. ]

[A lot can happen in a short amount of time... Especially when you're used to a much more simplistic, bucolic sort of existence and now... you live in a weird magical and technological fusion world full of weird moons and powerful gods and all sorts of random occurrences...]

Six months! That's twice as long!

[Just in case Doumeki wasn't sure on the math.

But now that she's absolutely sure they're friends, and not just her considering them to be so, Konoha is much freer with physical affection- including wither bumps, back pats, and hoof taps. And the fluttery little pat of fingers on his shoulder as she flusters a bit, her other hand cupping a cheek growing a bit pink as she searches the assembled hot pot party guests-

Okay, no, it's not that hard, Gonta is nine feet tall. But she finds him and ends up giving a little wave when he stares back in question, getting a gruff little nod and flick of tail in return before he moves on to finish hauling a sack of taro to the ingredients area.]

Yeah...

[She truly, really does. And even though she figures Doumeki of all people might understand... she belatedly points at her husband's retreating figure (butt).]

When his tail swishes like that you know he's happy. Like Doumeki-san during Sanguis.

[Puppy...]

[ Ain't that the truth... plus a lot can happen when you don't get shot by your boss, what can I say.

But Doumeki nods again, confirming Konoha's math. He's used to Yashiro's very physical affection, so more touching even in a casual setting is fine with him. Being in Prismatica makes you warm up to people, after six months, he'd practically hold hands if she asked. ]

I am happy for you, Konoha-san.

[ Doumeki sees those glances, he knows those minute gestures well. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised that Konoha had picked up on his. (Sanguis really does make him weirdly expressive, if you ask him.) ]

I see. He seems very happy as well.

[........ YEAH NOT GETTING SHOT BY ONE'S BOSS IS VERY HELPFUL?

But all Doumeki has to say is that he's happy for her and it's enough to make her look slightly bashful, equine lower body swaying back and forth in a slightly girlish reaction.]

Mmm... It's mostly peaceful here, and we have the farm, and each other...

[But oh, a sobering thought brings her back down to earth, mouth turning down into a small frown before she puts a smile back on.]

I don't know if he'll ever be really happy until we get home, though... We can't have children here, and they're really important to him...

[And to her, too, but- not in precisely the same way. She didn't have a legacy of mountain jinba traditions to pass down, the weight of a culture on her shoulders nearly lost to the jinba hunts and the wars.]

... Do you want to stay in Lunatia, Doumeki-san? Or go home one day?

[She's met people who preferred living here... So she's tried to stop assuming.]

[ When a man and a man love each other very much and one of those men is so emotionally damaged that he tries to destroy any chance he might have at happiness... you get Twittering Birds. ]

I see.

[ Doumeki nods. He finds her reaction to be understandable. It's nice being with someone you love, isn't it? But he also isn't surprised to hear that they want children. Many loving families are started from similar desires, after all. ]

I believe I would like to remain here.

[ His response isn't immediate, but it's one he's clearly put some thought into. ]

The boss has many enemies in our home, and our relationship would be seen as extremely inappropriate in our world. People's opinions may be changing slowly, but gay men are still fiercely looked down upon in the yakuza. We would not have the freedom we have here.

[ Yashiro may not think he's gay for his own gaggle of reasons, but Doumeki sure knows he is. ]

[Look, she knew there were issues, but... not shooting issues. Damn.

It's sad, to think that some people are happier in Lunatia. Not that she hates Lunatia, or anything, it had so many nice things her own world didn't, there was better medicine, technology, magic... but at the same time, it meant that their own worlds were sad or they had no one worth going back for, and she can't help but regret that.

At least with Doumeki, Yashiro was here in Lunatia.]

It always sounds so weird to me... the future worlds...

[It's a bit confusing for her to imagine how modern worlds viewed homosexuality. In her time, men couldn't get married, sure, but... didn't lords take young men as lovers? Weren't actors often sharing beds with other men? Couldn't you see that sort of thing in the red light district with pretty men as well as women?

She frowns in thought as she tries to puzzle it out, but in the end, the only thing that matters is-]

But if Doumeki wants to stay here... I hope you do.

[People disappeared and arrived every day, and Konoha has no idea what determines that, but. One can pray.]

[ It's a lot... somehow the day Yashiro got shot by a rando was less sad than what follows in their lives. ]

I imagine it must be very different from what I would consider modern day.

[ His gaze goes a bit soft at the thought. Things really were simpler, back then. Before the West came in and told people what was proper, and what was improper, and how to dress... Well, Doumeki's not that well-versed in history, but he knows enough to know that samurai were more lenient towards this kind of thing. It wasn't hidden. The yakuza may share things in common with them, but not this. ]

I hope so as well. I will miss Aoi and my mother, but their lives will benefit from my absence. [ Oh, don't say things like that, Doumeki. ] Compared to prison, this is a far better reason to leave home.

[ He still feels guilty about that, saddling them with a yakuza and an ex-convict besides. But modern society really is like that. Maybe without him in the picture, the neighbors will stop spreading rumors, and the two of them can live in peace. ]

And I will be with Yashiro-san. As long as I can remain by his side, I will have all I need.

[ That part, at least, he speaks with full conviction. ]

[Very different didn't begin to describe it... and Konoha's fingers tangle together as she tries to think of what to say. Should she wish that Doumeki and Yashiro could experience Japan as she knew it? They could probably be together no problem, after all... but, well... they'd probably be expected to still marry women and have children, but as long as they did that no one would really care who they slept with...

Wait, was that better or worse? Her decision on that is immediately abandoned, though, because did someone just say what she thought he just said?]

Doumeki-san, don't say that about yourself!

[Almost immediately, Konoha smacks him on the shoulder with exactly the same energy as a nun slapping a disobedient student on the hand with a ruler... except it's a centaur with approximately five times the strength of a human.]

[ Good thing Doumeki is built like a brick wall or he might've fallen over from that. Instead he flinches just a little, like a kid hit with a ruler. ]

Ah. I apologize, Konoha-san.

[ He needs to... get out of the habit of thinking like that, huh... Her little smack works though, Doumeki revises his earlier statement. He's an obedient child, what can I say. ]

That is to say, I am certain that my family will miss me, but ultimately I am happier with Yashiro than I would be on my own...

[Belatedly, she realizes she really should stop treating Doumeki like a jinba, but- He kind of deserves it right now, though, for saying something so mean about himself!]

Much better!

[Satisfied (for now!), back legs kicking up a bit of dirt in a release of pent up emotion, Konoha gives a stern nod... and then her strong hand lands far more gently on his shoulder, quieting back down.

Sure, he was from a future world... it wasn't like hers, where it would be realistic to imagine that without a man in the house it would be far too easy for an older woman and an unwed daughter to fall into destitution, but. Even without the worry for physical harm in his absence...]

The people who love us are never be better off without us in their lives... So even if you can't be with them, you have to remember that.

[... And she's not letting go of that shoulder until he agrees.]

[ It's alright, he likes being treated like family. It makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside. ]

You are right, Konoha-san.

[ He nods. It's hard for him to admit this, but... ]

I became so used to excluding them from my life that I... hurt them with my absence. [ He pauses. ] However, they have each other, where Yashiro-san only has me.

[ He knows how it sounds, choosing his love over his family, but he can't change his mind. ]

I won't forget them. But my life is his now.

[Maybe it sounds bad, to someone else, but... Yashiro is talking to a woman who decided to leave behind not only her adopted parents, but her entire village in order to join her husband in his ancestral home, so.]

Mmm...

[She understands. There's no hiding the way her gaze drifts back to Gonta on the other side of the party, her expression softening. Maybe he would stay in Lunatia forever. (Maybe she would, even if she doesn't want to.) Maybe he'd end up back home. But either way-]

Just make sure to explain yourself properly, if you have the chance. Your mother gave birth to you... Mothers [well, good ones] just want to make sure their children will be safe and happy, even if it isn't at their side.

[ Doumeki can tell there's something there, that Konoha might have gone through the same as him. They both got fairly involved quick, didn't they? It makes sense, back in those days, women left their families as soon as they were married. Even for jinba, that must have been the case. ]

Yes. I hope I can, someday.

[ He nods. His mother had been good to him. She was kind, and he can hardly blame her for the things his father did while none of them aware. He misses her, as well as his sister, but his happiness isn't with them anymore. ]

Good.

[Content with his answer, Konoha gives Doumeki another firm pat on the shoulder, a soft, understanding smile... and then she breaks into a bright grin, patting him even more rapidly a few last times.]

Now, let's focus up, Doumeki! I'm counting on you to serve soup and help me keep people who don't know what hot pot is from burning their imoni, alright?

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saezuru - 2020-10-23 03:35 (UTC) - Expand

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video | un: konoha

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I never get to use this icon, thank you

bless

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