melodiesofkupo | Video [With bonus linkshell issues]

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Video [With bonus linkshell issues]

[Hey, it's some guy standing in his bedroom wearing street clothes. But in the next moment, with a rush of power, he's adorned in a set of armor. It's a mingling of steel plating, chain, and coarse fur draped over the shoulders, topping a cloak down the back. The giant hammer was lifted, swung like it weighed nothing, and settled against the fur-covered pauldron. The grin he gave the camera was pretty toothy.]

Yo! Name's Kanji. I said I'd go all out and be myself, so here I am.

I make stuff! Y'know, dolls, knit blankets, a whole bunch of cute shit. And there ain't a damn thing wrong with that, y'hear me? But I'm officially offering my services in makin' stuff like that for... y'know, birthdays or whatever.

But this right here's my gear for my Berserker Asterisk, and I can put somethin' together for you guys, too. I'm takin' commissions for job outfits, either to make 'em myself or work up design sketches to have made later once your mind's all made up.

...Uhhh... [He paused, and his expression faltered as he tried to think of something. Then a gloved hand went to mess with his hair as he gave a small, unsure growl in his throat. He had to be forgetting something, and it wasn't coming to mind.]

Yeah, I think that's it? Never advertised before. But I gave it a good shot.

[He nodded to someone off-camera, and the feed cuts.]

[An hour or so later, it's time for a private message. However, it was a technical oversight sort of evening. In contrast to the guy showing up earlier with slangy, slouchy confidence, he seemed a bit fidgety this time around.]

Y-... yo, Naoto! So this ain't a huge deal, but I'm almost done with your birthday present and I, uh... I need to make sure it fits. Normally the person would put the stuff on and see if somethin' needs to be looser or tighter and I'd just fix it no problem, but I wanna keep the final outfit a complete surprise.

So that means... w-well, it... that means I'd...

[His eyes turned away from the camera, his face an awkward pink.]

I-I need to take a couple measurements later if- if that's cool with you!

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[Blinking, she slowly nodded.]

Alright.

[There was no need to vault the table, but he did and - well - he was gone. Looking over at Suzette, she nodded.]

Not always. Usually around me...

Makes you wonderrr, kufufuuu...

[Really, girl, this friend of yours was subtle as a behemoth. How??

Pay no attention to doors slamming and a lot of commotion from that bedroom.]

[Welcome to hell Suzette as Naoto gave a questioning look.]

Wonder?

[However, she was easily drawn away from the conversation by the commotion.]

[A commotion that lasted another minute. Then, silence.]

Okay! Ready! And hang up your coat!

[Exchanging one more look with Suzette, Naoto headed to her room and hung up her coat there. Once she was sure it wasn't going to fall from her chair, she crossed from her room to Kanji's room, knocking on the door.]

You're positive you're ready?

[Suzette just masked her face with her fan, snickering. This poor woman...]

Y-yeah, totally ready! All the work's just made my place messy and I wanted it nice is all!

[Well, he said he's ready. So, slowly, Naoto opened the door and stepped inside. She was down to her dress shirt beneath, but nothing major... should be fine, right?]

Which measurements do you require?

[Perhaps she'd wonder what sort of mess the room once was, because this wasn't typical of a boy's room. Either his mother was a stickler for making sure his spaces were clean, or he'd simply been a bit of a neat freak. Then again, considering how clean the house was now, especially after they'd first moved in and noted the fine layer of dust...

Kanji was unrolling his measuring tape, but froze. Fidgeting with it now, he gestured to his chest first.]

Uh, t-trunk... so it ain't squashin' your- s-so you can move around in it and still breathe when it bunches up a bit...

[Then he lowered it to his fly.]

Then an inseam, so... wh-where the base is here, down to the end of the pant leg. I notice ya roll up the bottom hems a lot so I'm gonna go for a boot cut but pull it back a bit so it ain't ridin' up on your ankles when ya walk.

[He sighed and rubbed the back of his head.]

Yeah. I thought about like, wearin' a blindfold or somethin' along those lines, but that's... haha, dumb...

[He closed his eyes and planted his fists on his hips, tapping a foot. Be true to yourself. Be honest.]

B-but I guess I got scared as hell when that came out all public because a big part of that Secret Lab back then was about your body, and how embarrassed and angry ya were with how people treated ya for it. I didn't wanna add to that. Shit, I know how that is, and how people get when ya look... "not what people expect", to 'em.

[Considering the state of his room for a moment, Naoto had to wonder what all the rummaging about previously had been. It just didn't seem like there was anything that would make so much noise even how it was organized now.]

[Quietly, she listened to him explain what he needed and what he intended to do. It was all sound and a boot cut sounded good for the pant legs he was making.]

... Alright.

[She'd gotten measurements before so this wouldn't be anything different or strange... well, not too strange. It was her first time being measured by Kanji and not some tailor whom she'd see regularly and also be living with for a while.]

A blindfold would've complicated matters...

[The point of measuring was to get the numbers for his use. That, and it would be difficult to measure herself and guide him to help.]

Oh... That's very considerate of you, Kanji-kun. [It really was... but it would be just like him to consider that.] I'll be fine though. It's a different world and I would expect people to not carry the same opinions. And if they choose to, then they're not worth my time.

[What some people said didn't help matters any. Why's everybody gotta be so weird about it? But it was good to hear it from her, that there was no harm and no foul. His own hesitations aside, if he didn't do this, then there was a good chance the outfit wouldn't fit right. He knew how she moved in battle...]

You're right. They're not.

[He lifted his gaze and gestured to a polished foot stool, upholstered with the design of a forest hiding many little blue creatures holding various types of berries in their mouths.]

A'right... get on the carbuncles. This'll just take a sec.

[Watching him, she had to double take at the stool... and stare at the blue creatures decorating it.]

... Carbuncles?

[She stepped on the stool, still peering down at it however. It was the first she'd heard of the blue animals.]

Yeah! I got a little book about 'em from somebody in the Summoner's Guild when I peeked in. They're little summon spirits that cast magic shields and stuff. They have gems in their foreheads and they come in all kinds of colors. Some old stories say they like to eat rubies.

I got plans to make a friggin' pile of plush carbuncles. Like, life sized, so they're extra cuddly. They're almost as big as a small dog.

[Talking helped, for him anyway. He stepped behind her and looped the tape measure around her ribcage, trying to be as discreet as possible.]

Thought about moogles, too, but Suzette just gets all huffy.

Interesting. I guess I was examining the other Eidolons that I missed the part about Carbuncles...

[They hadn't been featured on the walls with the larger ones. How strange...]

I see. I'm sure they're been popular, and with the right materials, they'll be gone quickly.

[Naoto remained still for the measurements, a little more aware than Kanji might want her to be.]

She did? Did you ever ask why?

"You'll never get it right! There's no beating the real thing, kuPUUUUfufufufuuuu...!"

Y'know, shit like that.

[Nice falsetto, Kanji. But he passed the end of the tape measure to her.]

Uh, p-put this end at the... where the legs meet. I dunno why the carbuncles didn't get a mention either. Maybe it's beginner stuff? I bet everybody wants to summon huge, cool stuff so that's what they advertise to get some fresh blood in the Guild.

Hell, it's pretty typical of a tactic.

... I say still make it. It isn't meant to beat the real thing after all, but be a fun representation.

[Sorry for the delay, she was caught off-guard by Kanji's... performance. Blinking back to reality, she took the tape measure's end and lined it up where he needed it to be.]

Hm, fair point. Still, the carbuncles are capable summons themselves; they should be mentioned.

Who doesn't want a li'l fox-bunny that sparkles, right!? Gimme like twenty of those!

[He drew the tape measure down. Okay, it seems to rest down here comfortably. With a boot cut, there's opportunity to tuck into boots as usual, but there was the added boon of not having pants that make you look like you're expecting a flood.]

O-kaaaay... done. Got what I needed. [He withdrew and started wrapping it up, looking sheepishly to the carpet.]

Thanks, Naoto. I'll, uh... you'll get the first carbuncle. Extra soft!

Careful, Kanji-kun. With your ability, you might never leave a pile of twenty carbuncles.

[It really wasn't difficult to imagine Kanji just burying himself in a pile of something like that. Probably would be getting him to move later.]

[Nodding, she released the tape and allowed Kanji to withdraw it. However, she have to blink.]

Huh? Why?

Got me there. I won't need to go out into society if I'm sleepin' in a cave made of carbuncles.

[He opened a drawer and stowed everything away. He looked back and smiled. He'd noticed you were checking out the upholstery hardcore.]

Why not? Had a cute mental picture of you all snuggled up with one after a hard day of putting the boot to bad guys.

You'll still have to get up to eat, Kanji-kun.

[You're not allowed to go into hibernation right now. Looking away, she would not let him see her reddening face.]

I-I just had to admire it. It's rather unique compared to the other Eidolons...

I'll order delivery. "Find me in the carbuncle patch. Knock gently."

[He folded his arms.]

It's okay if ya think they're cute. They're seriously cute.

I can't allow you to do that...

[That is no way to live, Kanji-kun. Still, her face turned darker.]

... They're acceptable.

[He bit a cheek to keep it cool, but there was nothing doing. He had to use a hand to cover the mouth to mask the grin as he turned away. Naoto, you're a dork.]

Gimme a week. I'll get it done, and it'll be real... acceptable. Blue okay, or?

[H-Hush... She just doesn't use words like cute.]

N-No... blue's fine. I prefer it actually.

Cool.

[This was nice. How long had it been since the two of them just got to talk alone, without Rise hanging around or without their senpai snooping on them? Kanji could only recall a few times back home.

That was too bad, however, when his stomach began to sink. A small, niggling doubt began to bloom in his mind that made a small lump form in his throat. He crossed the room, still smiles, and opened his door to peek out into the rest of the house. He had grown accustomed to the telltale sounds of Ren, and as his stomach knotted, he realized that this wasn't a time where he was usually home. He was something of an outdoor prowler, likely hitting up a cafe somewhere with his buddies from home.

So it was now, or way too late. He shut the door and wasn't looking at her, and he ran his fingers through his hair.]

...Thanks for bein' cool about this.

Um... right. So, this is a total 180, but I also wanted to talk to you in private about something that's been eating at me. The linkshell's a bust, so I'm REALLY freakin' thankful I didn't do it there, but... well...

[He hesitated. Even when he turned back, he was visibly uncomfortable. He didn't like that he was about to piss in the good mood, but the longer he held back on this, the worse it'd be. She had a right to know about that talk with Makoto.]

[For some reason, the comfortable atmosphere between them abruptly took a nosedive. Something felt off as Kanji moved around the room and then checked his door. She eyed him when he closed it, raising an eyebrow.]

... What happened?

[For some reason, that seemed like the appropriate question to ask and she continued staring at him. Not yet the 'Stare', but that might be coming soon ~~to a smol detective near you Kanji~~.]

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