Fantasy Moments in Time

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei chews on the rabbit's leg, pondering about something and swallowed.

"...Nah. I stayed quiet 'cause I found out ya 'ere a guy an' I wanted tah know wha' da heck ya do tah make the Hakagami want yah," He said.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

Kenren was surprised. He simply nodded in understanding."I see." His hand covered his mouth again as he looked to the side, as though recalling something. He shook his head for some reason.

"The Hakagami clan want me dead, because I'm the son of the emperor." there was no affection in his voice, as though his father was only a distant stranger. "I'm a potential heir for the Chrysanthemum Throne, the less heirs, the more chances my other half-brothers have in succeeding the emperor. That's it, I never did anything."

He looked like he didn't want any pity. He seemed used to it, stating it as a fact, and finished his rabbit, throwing all but the largest bones into the fire. That bone he cleaned with water from a puddle, then laid it beside the hot rocks to dry.

"Jouda Momochi, the mute daughter of a noble, is one of my aliases. They attacked us before dawn, while we were still sleeping. My mother woke me up and we fled together with our bodyguards. We were pursued and our guards stayed behind to confront the enemy, I don't know what happened to them."

He seemed anxious for them.

"I never had a sister, nor a brother who looked out for me. I like Tsumiki and granny, I'll work hard and take back Akihara for them and give granny better reading glasses, and make it safe for Tsumiki to walk the streets with her friends. My friends in Danhua should have sent a letter by now already, or sent some people on horseback to your family's house to keep them safe and look for us. Though, I doubt they could find us, the rain must have washed our tracks by now. "

He pondered for a while. "Me and my mother aren't well enough to travel through the forests yet. We should try to get weapons, I need a sword, and maybe you can ride ahead to Danhua and bring help to us here."

Katsuya
The Story | Characters | OOC
​

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-
​

Lydia read what the board said aloud and she wasn't even sure what to think, her green eyes widening as she looked at James than back at the board before the giggles started and she shook her head, "what?! No!" Her head continued to shake briskly as James asked if he looked like an old man, "no! Of course not!"

She giggles died down some and she nodded her head to the divers, she did wonder why on earth they thought James would be an old man but decided to wait on asking them about that until they were in the diner. While she didn't share her reasons for accepting the offer of Micheal and Coal when she had declined to be shown around by a guide, it was because while it was easy to turn down paid guides who didn't know who they were, she felt like it was more difficult to turn down fans. She didn't want to seem like a stuck-up hero and smiled to herself at the thought that she was even considered one.

She did remove her wrap before they left Callie's back and swam to the diner, Lydia's gaze drifting all around as they entered, she was obviously excited, an enthusiastic smile plastered on her face as she took in all the details, especially the rune work and the mechanism for draining the water at the table. She had wondered how they were going to eat because of the air bubbles they wore so it was nice to have that question answered.

She nodded shyly to Coal, "y-yes... but if there are other... not e-extremely adventurous things to try... that might be nice too," Lydia had brought her own little coin purse which was held closed by a draw string which was around her wrist. When James removed his bubble, she watched him carefully before mimicking what he did so she didn't pop hers as she carefully set it aside. She intently listened to Micheal as he told how things were done under the water, her brow furrowing thoughtfully as her chin rested on her hand, "have you both lived here very long?"

The conversation had helped her relax somewhat since they were answering questions that Lydia had been posing, and then some. Though she did get a little anxious when the topic turned to the heroes of Holt and their exploits. Talking about herself wasn't her favorite topic, especially with strangers. She nervously chewed her lower lip, rubbing her arm slightly and glancing to James, but she did her best to at least tell them a little, though it was with great humility that she did so.

"What?!" The giggles started up again after she had asked why they had thought James was an old man, "really? What does mine look like?" She looked to James, an amused expression on her face as she tugged at his arm, "we should go see when we are done and buy some... I would love to send one to Thomas, I bet he would be so miffed!"

After some deliberation and discussion with Coal and Micheal, Lydia had chosen a red seaweed and blue green algae. She had been very hesitant to try any fish because while she was okay with sashimi, she wasn't so sure she'd like eating a live fish, though she wondered about the logic of that since mere-folk evidently ate things in one bite, but she didn't want to risk it and was content with trying her order when the mermaid arrived with it. She watched James with interest as he tried eating like the mere-folk and laughed slightly, "may I try too?"

When the waitress allowed Lydia to try as well, she did her best to imitate the way James did it, she didn't want to look foolish as she leaned over and slurped some from the bubble, looking thoughtful as she chewed and swallowed, "it tastes like... lettuce."

Zer0

 

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei choked on the meat, coughing and hacking as he patted his chest. Then he looked at Kenren, gaping, brows furrowed up.

"Wha' in da-?! Ya a potential 'eir tah da throne?! Wha-!?" As listened to the potential prince, the blonde blinked and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he pondered. He closed his eyes.

"I ain't leaving ya alone while I go tah Danhua. Instead, I'll look around da area tah see if dere's a settlemen' around 'ere." He suggested as he opened his eyes to stare at the fire, thinking hard about something. "I could do quick jobs and get da stuff we need. Especially fur ya tah recova'."

He stayed quiet for a while, pursing his lips as he came to a conclusion and moved to sit next to Kenren. After dropping the bones on the ground, Chenglei didn't look at the disguised boy. His wild hair veiled his eyes.

"...My motha abandoned meh and left meh tah Granny's care, knowin' dat she can barely care fur herself. Den three years latah, she did da same tah meh sistah." He muttered, shoulders slumped again.

"Dat's anotha' reason why I got angry. Felt like I just abandoned meh family too...like her." He hissed at the end, glaring at the fire like he was seeing his mother.

Then he looked at Kenren, grinning a bit. "So...ya got brothas who hate ya. I gotta ma who hates meh too..." Chenglei took a deep breathe and declared: "I swea' dat I'll look afta ya an' ya motha, Kenren while we find help in Danhua. If we can't, den I'll stick by until ya dun need meh anymore."

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
"James Pendragon"​

"Not extremely adventurous? You're in a new place, Lady Deathbane, you got to try the most extremeliest, adventurous things!" Michael had said to Lydia in disbelief. "The Hydra!" he pointed at an artistic engraving on the stained glass menu which seemed to be five sea slugs bloated and tied into sausage like segments, and each segment had either fresh crab eggs with seasoned kelp, pickled horse shoe crab meat, live baby squid, fresh frog's legs, and shell-less baby turtles. "They make the sea slug eat the food and then tie it with an edible kelp knot. It's the most delicious, belly filling meal around here!"

Having eaten previously, the two divers just ordered some drinks, which all came in firm bubbles in a bowl that they could just take and sip from. Coal and Michael said that they've been living here for four years as deliverers of fresh water for land dwellers who work in the underwater districts.

When Lydia asked what her Holt Hero toy looked like, the two men laughed a little. "You're the tallest one among the figurines and you have this . . . grrr face . . . muscles and a really big hammer."

James was amused and agreed to go see this funny stall with her, and when Lydia said her seaweed and algae tasted like lettuce, James gave her another fond amused look, chuckling. "Mine's like salty, squiggly, and slippery rubber."

"It tastes good with tomatoes," said a restaurant patron, a mermaid mom with her husband and kids who very interested in them. They had a pet jellyfish that one of the kids was wearing like a hat, and a pet hermit crab they were trying to coax out of its shell with some live fish.

James tried it. "It's delicious." he said, then patted Lydia immediately and tried to whisper inconspicuously, pressing their bubble helmets together. "She's got kids, should we ask her the you-know?"

Roleplay Skittle

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

Kenren looked astonished at this gesture and seemed to look at Chenglei in a new light. As though he was moved by his faithfulness to his word. "Thank you, Chenglei." he said earnestly, gripping his shoulder. "That makes me less worried about the times ahead."

His gaze was prolonged more than usual, pupils larger despite the fire, then he looked away a little awkwardly, chuckling too much. "Sorry, just feeling a little sentimental." he clapped his shoulder chummily then sat back and had a little trouble making eye contact as he looked out into the rain, then busied himself with attending to his mother.

He threw the small bones in the fire, and kept the larger ones to dry. That day, Kenren borrowed a knife from Chenglei and busied himself carving fish hooks out of wood, making a needle out of the bone, and shaving the rabbit skulls to use as cups. Mrs. Taisho asked Chenglei for the rabbit skins so that they can dry them and she can sew them into something useful.

Kenren carved himself a spear too, and six shivs from the rabbits' thigh bones. He asked Chenglei to teach him how to make rope from plant fiber and asked him a lot of questions about himself, just getting to know him. And even if it was just getting water or something simple, he'd come and ask him if he could help, or if Chenglei could teach him something else, like how to hunt. Kenren can move now, but he cannot bend around his wounds that were only four-days healed.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei looked away when Kenren broke the eye contact, feeling his cheeks heating up. He cleared his throat. "I-It's okay." Then he placed a hand on his chest, taking a deep breathe again and let's it go. He waited for the fluttery feeling to leave before going outside again, passing Mrs. Taisho the rabbit skin and told Kenren he can use whatever he has in his bag while he's gone.

The blonde came after finding a small town that didn't have Hakagami soldiers running around after a few hours of searching and hunting, shocked that the mother and son pair were doing something; creating cups, needles, a spear, shivs, a hook...

A twinge of gratefulness that he wouldn't be the only one doing something about their survival, Chenglei answered Kenren's questions including the more personal ones. Like his age ("I'm 15 years old. an' ya?"), his birthday ("It's in da fall."), and his hobby ("I-I dun hav' a hobby...but I like tuh ice skate..." Chenglei muttered and looked away again, tips of his ears turned red.) He showed Kenren how to make rope with plant fibers and how to hunt but told him that he should wait until his wounds heals to even bend.

"It would be bad fur ya if yur wounds opened now." Chenglei told him, looking worried as he passed the new rabbit skin to Mrs. Taisho so she can make something out of it. "Fur now, jus' rest until we can leave 'ere...I'm goin' intah town tomorrow so I can get a quick buck an' get some of da items we need...like a sword or two." He said.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

The rainy days in that cavern became more and more difficult as more Hakagami soldiers came down to occupy the settlements, soon even the village Chenglei worked in had soldiers who stopped and talked to everyone going in and out of the gates. There were news of rebellion, skirmishes, and hunts in the mountains and forests for Taisho loyalists, and so the three had been forced to move to a better hiding spot in the caverns that they blocked with stone.

They had a secret knock or a password to whisper if they wanted to get in. Strangers had come into the caverns, some hunters looking for game, some fleeing villagers, at other times soldiers. The latter was a close call, they had followed Chenglei secretly and found the footprints in the cave and the signs of more than one person living there and had searched the caverns. Kenren and his mother neither talked nor walked around for a few days, and they couldn't make a fire or risk getting caught. The group had to huddle for warmth during the cold rainy nights and ate nothing by cave crickets as going out to hunt was risky too. They lost one of the horses and the things they left out in the open were taken.

By that time he and his mother were able to walk and followed Chenglei, climbing up the rocks very, very slowly and carefully, with their things packed in rope bags made of plant fiber. Mrs. Taisho had sewn rabbit fur hats for them that could be drawn tight with string to be used as a pouch. It made his ears warm during the nights they had to stay hidden in the dark. At first it was a little awkward huddling together. It was improper for someone who wasn't family hug a woman, so Kenren held his mother for warmth, while he off-handedly told Chenglei he can come over and sleep beside him.

Because they couldn't risk talking, he'd talk to him by tracing oriental letters on his palm.

'I'm fifteen too'; 'My birthday was yesterday, my mother gave me the rabbit hat.'; 'You like skating, Chenglei? My mother loves that when it's snowing, including our cats. I like training with the sword and playing Shogi with my father. In between my studies I like horse back riding, and script writing. But my most favorite hobby is playing Sipa. It's a game from the country of Nolon where they kick a light ball made of thin strips of bamboo over a net and on their opponent's ground. I can teach it to you one day, if you like.'

Their silent conversations was something Kenren was always happy to do, his shoulders usually touching his. There seemed to be endless things to talk about his life as a prince. He actually never ventured outside his home without a disguise and usually it was with a bodyguard and a maid.

The next week, he and his mom were finally good enough to travel and soon they came upon the outskirts of Danhua.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

It was getting harder to enter and leave the town Chenglei worked in and had to make the choice of leaving the settlement alone; the last straw for him was when the soldiers followed him and they almost got caught. So they left the old spot to go find a new one each time someone comes in the caverns. When he heard about Taisho Loyalists being hunted down, the blonde prayed every night that his grandmother and sister are alright. He really hopes that the people who were supposed to help Kenren would help them escape or guard them from the Hakagami group.

Chenglei sighed in relief when Kenren and his mother can walk again and he showed his thanks to Mrs. Taisho by finding as much cave crickets so she can eat for the rabbit fur hat. It's useful too because he left his own bag out in the open. Now he can carry his knife and medical bandages with a green paste for cuts and red paste to sooth muscle cramps. They ran out the fever pills as Kenren ate the last one Chenglei got from the settlement before he left.

Sleeping together was weird and he doesn't blame Kenren of not letting him go near Mrs. Taisho. He never planned to do that; It's just weird but then when he said that Chenglei can sleep next to him, that made him freeze in the spot. Did he not remember what happened when they first met or did he not care about it anymore? The blonde hesitatingly slept next to Kenren on those cold nights with the rabbit hat on, his back touching Kenren's as he snuggled with his mother.

However...there were some mornings where Chenglei will find himself spooning Kenren and he would slowly back away so that the potential heir doesn't wake up; sporting a red blush of embarrassment and curled up into a ball.

When the two teens wrote on their hands, Chenglei smiled more and wrote back, but his handwriting isn't very good. It's like reading a little kid's chicken scratch but somehow Kenren still understands what he was 'talking' about. 'Your cats can ice skate? That's really funny!' 'Oh! Happy birthday...wish I had a present for you...' 'Really?! I love games! I also like to prank people too when they are too stiff for their own good.' 'Shogi? So like...you can plan battle tactics? That's really cool! Can you teach me how to play that too?' The blonde told him if he ever was a guard and Kenren was the prince, he'll do his best to have excuses to go out together like normal people and hang out. Chenglei mentioned that he 'loves hearing wind chimes because they sound pretty- Don't laugh!' and would look away, embarrassed again.

Next week came by and Chenglei couldn't be any happier that they can see Danhua, grinning wide. "We actually made it..." He looked at the mother and son pair, ash purple eyes sparkled from the sun hitting his face just right as his smile turned charming.

"Yur finally gonna be safe...hopefully." He couldn't be sure since appearances can be too good to be true.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-​

Micheal's insisting that being somewhere new called for being extremely adventurous ushered no more than a steady shaking of her head despite his evident bafflement. The shaking of her head only became more persistent as Micheal suggested The Hydra, her hands raising in front of her and waving side to side slightly as her cheeks filled with air, she wasn't sure of what was in it, but the idea that they were force feeding something made her nauseous. It sounded like Foie Gras and she wouldn't eat that either even though it probably was less horrifying consume than what Micheal was suggesting, "u-u-um... n-no thank you... a-and please... just call me Lydia."

Her eyes squinted slightly as an amused smile fell on her lips when the two described Lydia's figurine. She wasn't sure if she should be offended that they would make her be something she isn't or if she should be glad that they took the liberties, thinking that maybe the fact that it didn't look like her would make her less recognizable. She glanced to James, after all, they hadn't realized that he was James Pendragon since he wasn't an old man, the thought made her giggle slightly, "well... my hammer and my muscles aren't that big... as you can see I'm not very tall... but James and all of my friends say that I have a very expressive face so maybe that's true?" She looked to James again, questioningly this time, after all, she wasn't in the practice of making angry faces at herself in the mirror so only those who had seen it would be able to agree or disagree with how she looked when she was fighting. Though she wasn't sure that anyone would pay that much attention to her face when there were enemies around.

She smiled to the patron as she suggested that tomatoes were good with it and tried it after James. Of course she thought that they would be good with the red seaweed since she thought that it tasted like lettuce. She blinked at James around a mouthful as he suggested that they asked about the reproduction of sea folk and blushed slightly, giggling nervously, "u-um... I-I-I don't know... m-maybe if we work our way up to it, it won't be rude?"

She took James hand and cleared her throat gently, "u-um... hi... you have very cute... um.. children..." she wasn't exactly sure if mere-folk still called their young children like surface dwellers, "how old are they?"

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

It seems Kenren was a heavy sleeper as he never woke up from Chenglei hugging him, though it was confusing as he'd wake up immediately if there was an unfamiliar sound in the caverns like wind that sounded like whispers. The prince, for prince he was despite the warring rivalry between his half-brothers whom some were as poor or even poorer than Chenglei's family, had grown very comfortable around him, at first just resting his elbow on his shoulder chummily as they talked, now draping his arm around his shoulders whenever they hiked and were laughing about something.

Because they lost that other horse, Kenren's mother rode on the remaining one they had, a reddish brown mare she named, 'Aka'. Mrs. Taisho was fond of Chenglei, and would greet him warmly with a ruffle of the top of his hair or a kind touch on the shoulder. She asked him for his clothes whenever she did laundry and when it was returned he'd find that the tears and holes had been patched up with the bone needle and her own long hair or some stray thread. She would often ask him if he was hungry or thirsty, and would basically just mother him too, one day rubbing dirt from his face and fixing his hair when he came back from a hunt.

There were some moments where Kenren would be looking at him, and then just look away whenever he caught him, acting like nothing happened. He told him he'd be delighted to teach him Shogi and that yes, his father does that to teach him war tactics aside from his lessons. His father would often talk to him, ask him what to do if enemies were on that hill or in that forest and how you'd fight or defend yourself from them. And by father, Kenren meant the man, his uncle, who raised him, not the emperor.

"You're interested in being my guard?" he brought the topic up one day when they were in the mountains heading to Danhua, his face brightening. "It's a dangerous job, my enemies will be your enemies, and, well . . ." he shrugged nonchalantly, as though trying to discourage him, but it didn't really sound like it. "you'd be swearing to die for me, and it's kind of boring, being with a guy all the time. Probably can't even have a relationship with a girl." he added off-handedly.

Katsuya

- A Day Out -
"James Pendragon"​

"Fifteen and seventeen." said the mermaid mom happily. "Come say hi to the nice tourists, guppies!"

James was surprised. They looked liked they were below ten years old. The guppies said their hello's in their mermish language, "Tala!"

"Tala!" said James cheerfully, waving his and Lydia's entwined hands. "I didn't know merfolk kids looked so different from human kids at this age."

The mom giggled, "Oh, if we're to base their age when they hatch, then they would be seven and nine. Guppies don't hatch until they're eight years old."

"Wow . . . I'm sorry about my ignorance, but if you don't mind me asking, how do you take care of them for eight years?"

"That's my job." said the husband gruffly. For a moment, James imagined the male sea horse.

The mom smiled. "My chufinee, or husband, breathes hoole-huhng over them twice a day, everyday. Hoole-huhng is like your aura, the oriental land walkers call it chi. It flows through the pathways of the body known as meridians, or chakras may be the more familiar term, and it nourishes our eggs."

"And you do that for eight years, sir?"

"Yeah." said the husband simply as though it was the most common thing.

James looked at Lydia. "Whoa." he muttered.

Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

"Well I wouldn' mind. I'mma used tuh workin' at odd hours an' I've always had tuh beat someone up at least once a month." Chenglei said as he encouraged the horse to keep going, patting the side of his neck and shoulder. Then he looked at the potential Prince with a grin. "I'm alread' in dat position, dying for ya, wit' wha' we're doin' now an' I thin' yur worth it."

The blonde looked away at this point, the tips of his ears turning red. "...I still think ya 're fun to be around...an' I'm used tah da idea of nah havin' a girl. Nah plannin' tah marry one. I told ya dat already..."

While he was used to Kenren's contradictory behavior by now( who wakes up from whispers but not Chenglei's arms around him?! What?), he's not used to having a mother figure be a mother figure to him. Sure, Granny can be nice but she always whacked him with a slipper and he's pretty sure that's not how a mom punishes her kids. So every time Mrs. Taisho starts mothering him, the blonde would stand still, not knowing what to do but at the same time really happy about it. His face would turn red too and if anyone says anything about it, Chenglei wouldn't say anything back and just curl up into a ball with an embarrassed but silliest grin.

It's the same with Kenren whenever they talked, with his arms around his shoulders; Chenglei would start blushing and smile his silly grin of embarrassment. There were moments when the blonde starts questioning why the potential prince would look at him but then act as if nothing of the sort happened. So he really can't say anything about it...nor could he stop that flush of red either.

"a-and ya said ya would teach me how tah play Shogi! How can I learn if yur tah busy wit' stuff? an' wha' bettah way tah do it than tah be yur guard." Chenglei said, trying to not sound excited or happy with the idea of hanging around Kenren.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-
​

Lydia was visibly surprised, her large eyes blinking several times as she considered what had just been said, her gaze drifting back to the children in question and smiling nervously, "t-tala," James voiced her own thoughts, her eyes widening again as he received an answer. It was hard to believe that they wouldn't actually come into the world for eight years and hearing that, she was glad that they were hatched and not carried, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to carry a child for that long.

She smiled at the husband as he responded gruffly that it was his job to care for the eggs until they hatched, looking back to the mermaid mother as she explained how it was done. It was all very enlightening, and how casual they were about it made it more fascinating, though she supposed that some water dwellers might think the same of habits of land dwellers too, she smiled at James as he voiced his awe at the information before looking back to the mer-couple, "do you have any more.. um... guppies?"

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

"That's true." said Kenren," No quicker way for me to teach you shogi." he sounded very amused at that reason and chuckled for a long time, muttering, "Shogi . . ." He kicked a random stone away, looking very happy with his hands in his pockets and smiling at everything. Then it turned into a not-that-worried-but-really-worried frown. "S-so, you, don't like commitment? Sharing your life with someone you love? --- I'm asking because, kind of-kind of curious, not wanting to have a son who could continue your bloodline, or daughter to take care of you as you grow old." he suggested, shrugging.

Katsuya

- A Day Out -
"James Pendragon"​

"No, just our Ebneese and Jimca." she said, smiling at her kids fondly. They managed to coax the hermit crab out and quick as a flash it snapped up the morsel of food and hid back in its shell again. The kids "Aaaaaw!" in disappointment.

"When we were younger, we wanted to have six guppies and always hoped to have twins, but alas, it wasn't meant to be."

James nodded, smiling at them politely, and finished up his seaweed, giving Lydia a secret high five later, pleased with their accomplished mission. He had looked like he wanted to comment about having twins, but didn't say anything and just kept up a cordial conversation with the couple, listening to them talk about parenthood. Eventually, his and Lydia's relationship came up and the mother asked them how long they've been together and how they met, and some other patrons who were listening in got the gist that these two were actually the Lydia "Lady Deathbane" Dubois and James Pendragon, and were suddenly overwhelmed with eager fans.

Coal and Michael started acting like bouncers and in a very bodyguard fashion told everyone not to smother them. Luckily most of the patrons in the restaurant were older, well-mannered folk, so the situation was quickly put under control by the staff. James took this opportunity to announce very clearly that he was not an old man and for good measure added that he wasn't interested in men, that the whole Johhny, Echo, and James love triangle was not true, and that he was going out with Lydia.

To which the crowd replied with. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" taking out what seemed to be underwater cameras?

James looked to Lydia. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable doing that just because all these fans asked, and also because so many folks were watching, but he also looked like he didn't want to hurt her by rejecting her in front of everybody.

Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-
​

Lydia wore a pleasant smile during the conversation, though she looked somewhat concerned when james declined to comment on the twins, maybe he didn't want to mention his brothers because of the situation they were currently in? She wasn't sure so she just gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Lydia told the mer-mother that she had met James when she started living at his home as an apprentice to his father and that they hadn't actually been dating that long but that they had known each other since the previous winter.

When the fans started swarming them, Lydia became very timid, stuttering her answers to any questions they may have and generally avoiding eye contact. She was short with her responses though she wasn't exactly rude. She smiled awkwardly as James declared that he wasn't an old man, laughing nervously and tugging his hand as she muttered that it was pretty obvious he wasn't and she blushed bright red when he declared that the rumored love triangle wasn't true and that he was dating Lydia.

When the fans directed James and Lydia to kiss, she frowned and looked to James, her brow furrowing. She smiled gently and gave him a subtle, reassuring nod before turning her gaze back to the fans, "u-um... as per my parents wishes... James and I do not kiss..." she smiled awkwardly and squeezed his hand tightly, "y-you... wouldn't want to make two of the h-heroes of Holt seem dishonorable, would you?"

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
"James Pendragon"​

James smirked, amused, at that, then squeezed Lydia's hand back. At that the fans muttered "No's", or shifted guiltily or embarrassed; while the merfolk couple beamed at them. Some fans "Awww" in disappointment, saying it was just a little kiss.

It seemed to be the best time to leave now and after gesturing at Lydia by nodding at the entry way, if she got the gist and agreed, he would call for the waitress for their bill only for the owner to come out himself and say it was on the house. He did ask if he could have a picture though and asked the couple how they liked the food, to which James showered him with compliments that were probably not true, but said it anyway to return the favor of a free meal and because he liked the staff, they were friendly.

Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei looked at Kenren, raising an eyebrow. "I-It's nah dat I'm afraid of commitment. o-or sharin' meh life wit' someone. It-" Why is he trying to explain himself? "I would like tah share mah life wit' someone b-but dat someone...I r-really doubt d-dey exist. S-so I dun get my hopes up, nah even wit' wantin' a kid to take care of meh when I grow old."

He smiled awkwardly. "It's fine. I'm used tuh doin' things by myself." Chenglei shrugged his shoulders as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

The prince looked thoughtful for a while, no longer that anxious looking. "You must have good high standards if you believe that someone doesn't exist." he said, interestedly, "What's your type anyway, Chenglei?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

Chenglei's cheeks flushed redder than before, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. "I-I dun hav' high standards!" He countered before looking away again.

"I jus' dun think anyone would be interested in meh, since all I care about is workin' an' makin' sure my family is okay..." Chenglei rubbed his neck again and then cleared his throat. "M-my type? I-i dun know...I guess- understanding and kind but not a pushova' either." He shook his head. "Wha about ya?"

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

He looked at him thoughtfully, a shadow of a smile on his lips. He took a deep breath. "Well . . . someone walking beside me as we forage for berries today." he looked at him, nervously, trying to be brave. "Who only cares about working and making sure his family is okay," he didn't break eye contact, looking scared, yet hopeful, refusing to be deterred now that he started speaking. "Who likes to ice skate and wants to learn Shogi. Who works really hard and is a man of his word. Brave, has a scary face when he's angry, but he's a really good guy inside. Sweet kisser to ---"

Bonk

Kenren walked into a tree. " . . . " His face went very red as he paused there. Immediately he leaned on it like nothing happened, smiling nervously. "S-sweet kisser too. A-and, haha, I like you so much I don't know what to do with it. My heart beats so fast when I know I'm going to see you again the next day."

Katsuya

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-
​

Lydia breathed a sigh of relief as the crowd dispersed and said her apologizes for not doing what they wanted, but said they were more than welcome to take pictures still, just not of a kiss. She smiled to the merfolk couple as they beamed, realizing that they were parents and so she inadvertently probably made them proud by adhering to her parents wishes.

She gave a nod and thanked the mer-couple for the chat, giving her thanks to Coal and Micheal for their escort and assistance with the crowd before offering to sign whatever they wanted her to and even signing it 'Lady Deathbane,' if that was what they wanted. When James called the waitress and the owner came out and gave them the meal on the house, she thanked him profusely with James and told him that it was the best red seaweed and blue green algae she's ever had, which wasn't a lie since it was the only red seaweed and blue green algae she had ever had. She also agreed to the picture and asked if they could send a copy to her home and gave the owner the address of her father's factory, c/o Monsieur Dubois.

After they were done with their goodbyes and back on Callie's back, Lydia looked to James curiously, "why didn't you mention Seth and Sen when that mermaid mom brought up twins?"

And as they exited the Coral District, Lydia requested many more pictures of them together, especially once they were on land again. She redonned her floral wrap and put on her black strappy sandals as they perused the stalls until they were in line of sight of the one in question, "James! Look!" she giggled excitedly and took his hand, weaving through the crowd to the booth and quickly looking over all of the figurines.

Zer0

 

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

When Kenren started, Chenglei tilted his head, listening in; but the more he listened in, the more wider his eyes were. His cheeks and the tips of his ears turned red again and his jaw dropped a bit in shock. He couldn't brake eye contact either. He dropped the rabbit hat bag that's midway filled with berries, some of them rolling away as the bag made a 'thud' sound when it hit the ground. Then he winced when Kenren bumped into the tree before smiling and shaking his head in a bit of disbelief when the potential prince continued to talk; leaning on the tree.

That's so like him, to go on despite having an embarrassing moment...It's endearing.

"I-I..." Chenglei gulped, wiping his sweaty and shaky hands on his clothes, stuttering incoherently. "Um..I...Kufufu..." He smiled at Kenren just nervously as he walked towards him and...hesitantly cupped his cheeks first. Then he dropped his hands to grab one of Kenren's and placed it over his chest where he can feel his heart beating.

It's like feeling a hummingbird's wings fluttering under his hand.

"...I'm not good wit' words...but I know I lik' ya too..." Chenglei said, smiling humbly as he tries not to hide behind the tree with his shaky legs, ash purple eyes stayed with Kenren's dark ones.

"Yur so much fun tuh be wit' an' I'm glad- happy- ecstatic wheneva' I wake up tuh see ya too. Yur really undastanding. Even when I'm angry, ya still let me hav' meh space instead of pushin' it. Really smart an' strong. Kind even tuh people who aren't yur family. I know ya not a pushova' eitha, not wit' everythin' ya been through. Yur really tough when ya hav' tah be and kind when it's necessary." Chenglei chuckled quietly. "I-I just repeated mehself, but yea..."

He's slowly inching his way to hiding behind the tree, lightly holding onto Kenren's hand on his chest as the blush got brighter in hue. "Y-Ya a sweet kissa too...got meh blushing..." Chenglei admitted, whispering it as he shyly looked at the potential Prince.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

Kenren felt Chenglei's heartbeat, then side-stepped the tree and hugged him, heart beating hard against his and kissed his forehead too; loose leaves fell on them as the strength of his hug sent them against a tree, Kenren's hand cushioning his head so that he wouldn't bump it. "I understand, Chenglei. Feel mine too." he said, grinning at him like a happy lovestruck loon, and let his hand touch his chest.

He rubbed his back, gazing at him. "Chenglei Zhou, will you be my body guard? You don't have to decide now, you can think about it, and what this means." he hugged him tighter. "I know how I feel, and I'm not afraid of the law that says loving a man is punishable by death. Its scary, but I want you. So if you're willing to have what's going to be a hard relationship, I've been thinking about it all week and I'm ready to jump with you.

Katsuya

- A Day Out -
"James Pendragon"​

"Nice one." said James, impressed, bumping into Lydia's shoulder playfully after they swam through the bubble dome and stepped on to Callie's back. The two would notice that the bag of jelly fruit marshmallows were missing.

When Lydia asked about the twins, he thought for a moment before saying, "Not all twins bring boundless joy, some are loud and annoying. Though, I'm sure Sen and Seth are boundless bundles of joy to my parents. Parents are so patient." he added, muttering to himself. "I wish I had dad's patience. He rarely gets mad."

When they resurfaced, he let the maori swim free after getting a squeak of affirmation as a promise she won't eat anyone's clothes, then he was off perusing the stalls with his beautiful Lydia. He was sad he only managed to glimpse her cute buttocks a few times, there hadn't been many opportunities to secretly look long without getting caught by her or their admirers and then be thought of as a dirty pervert. 'Someday', he thought to himself, squinting at her floral wrap from behind.

When they reached the 'Heroes of Holt' stall he burst out laughing. "What is this?" he said, showing Lydia the figurine of him reclining on a beach, with an old man face and wearing only really tight underwear. The figure was lean with rippling pectorals, tight big shoulders, ten pairs of well defined abs and a devilishly roguish smile that reminded him of Seifer. James just gaped at them all.

"This is definitely a half-ogre. This is not Echo." he said pointing at her figurine where she was the bulkiest of them all. "They even have your hammer wrong." he gazed at some light wooden "Deathbane Hammers" that were two-handed and decorated with deathknight skulls.

James could not stop laughing. "Why is Callie a flat-fish?"; "Oh, Lydia, you look so heroic with this one! Like a barbarian queen."; "I swear this is not for children . . ." he muttered, looking at Johnny's figurine. "Why does he have blue hair?"; "Oh, they even have a card game of us!"

It seemed there were two common types of customers in the stall: kids who collected the cards and grown men who collected the not-for-kids figurines. It bothered James that there was a couple of geeks arguing which of the girl's figurines they should buy by talking about which was hotter. Then again, it was funny because that's not really how they looked.

"Lydia, could you wear my robes for a bit?" he said, showing her the outer garment of his regalia that was longer and wider than her. He can't do anything about other guys checking her out as they explore the streets of Chingpo, but he didn't like having crowds of nerds gawk at her --- only he can gawk at her, and he didn't want whoever was making these to know what she really looked like and in the process have guys all over drooling at her figurine in their homes.

Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei's shy smile grew wide as he felt Kenren's heartbeat, hugging back and letting out a quiet grunt when they landed on the tree. He leaned in, touching his forehead with Kenren's so they can gaze at each other. As listened to the potential Prince, the blonde bit his bottom lip, pensive.

After staying quiet and squeezing Kenren in the hug, the blonde sighed before smiling warmly at him. "I'm willin'." Chenglei whispered as he leaned his head on Kenren's shoulder and nuzzled a bit. "I wanna jump wit' ya, Kenren Taisho...I'm scared but only 'cause of losin' ya..."

"Yea...I wanna be yur guard, Kenren."

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- First Impressions -
" Kenren Taisho "​

"Did I really make that good of an impression this past week?" he chuckled, nuzzling back.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-First Impressions-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

"Ya be surprised then." Chenglei muttered, still blushing. Then he hummed a bit. "Maybe I s-should think on it more. J-Jus' in case. I dun wanna get yur hopes up only tuh back away if I wasn't ready." He leaned his head back a bit to look at Kenren, hesitant. "I-If dat's okay wit' ya?I j-jus' wanna make sure. I do wanna be yur guard, but dis," The blonde squeezed Kenren again. "I-I wanna think more on it....I wanna take it seriously..."

Zer0