wizardmanor | Floor 4, Room 2

[He can follow along well enough, and it's obvious that this is tough on Yamato.]

Did ya get close to 'em?

[Because he could see that being the problem. That all of this was an act on Yamato's part until suddenly it wasn't, when he realized he was friends with them...

Or maybe Malice is just projecting.]

...Yeah. I did.

[ He started caring. The bitter part of him wants to say it was a mistake, but he knows it wasn't. The mistake wasn't caring. The mistake was shutting them out, upsetting them, breaking their faith and putting them in a bad position. ]

They knew something was up, but I never told them...any of this, really. They didn't get it out of me. It didn't go over well, and things weren't looking so great just before I arrived here.

[ He laughs weakly. He could go on about how he's the worst, but he's not going to do that to poor Malice, so he tries to phrase it succintly: ]

Needless to say, I'm not really someone worth associating with.

[That gets a laugh out of him and Malice desummons his broom again. Assuming Yamato will let him, he'll not-so-gently punch him in the arm. Even though he was going for gentle, he still hits pretty hard...]

C'mon, you don't get to decide that for me! I'm the only one who gets to choose who I'm associatin' with, an' you're stuck with me now.

[We're friends, Yams, get used to it.]

I ain't sayin' what you did was right. Sounds like a complicated situation an' you've already acknowledged that you made a mistake. But that's no reason to try to push us all away, is it?

Ow-

[ Ouch?? Buddy... He won't argue against that punch, though, because he definitely deserved that one. For a moment, he stares at Malice in disbelief, though he shouldn't really be surprised, given that Malice is just so aggressively himself.

It means something to him, though, that Malice is even continuing to give him the time of day, and that whatever Yamato's said is no reason to put distance between them. Sounds like he wants the opposite, actually.

What a strange feeling. ]

...Haha...you really are something else.

[ He shakes his head in disbelief, but he's smiling again. ]

That's the most I've told anyone about my situation, you know. Ever.

'Course I am.

[A distinction he will wear with pride, thanks! He's always gonna be a weirdo.]

I'm glad to hear it, despite how rough it sounds. An' I'll keep it to myself, don't worry. I like to think I'm an easy guy to talk to.

Thanks. I appreciate that.

[ Malice can probably already tell that Yamato would rather this be kept between them, so he'll be very happy if it doesn't make the rounds!! ]

That actually does help a little. Despite the current situation...if I could make it up to those guys, I would. Maybe there's something on my broom that'll symbolize that feeling?

Maybe it'll help if you think about who you wanna be. What you're gonna work toward, when you get back. 'Cause I can't imagine you'd just let things lie as they are now, right?

[You're gonna go fight win get back with your ex-wife, right??]

...

[ He's quiet as he mulls over this. He cups his chin in his hand and thinks hard about this, judging by how his expression twists into something incredibly pensive –

and then something appears from under him. He yelps and falls onto what appear to be some rainbow-themed musical bars, accompanied by a few notes here and there.

Wow. ]

...Is this it?

[Malice gasps at that, and then snaps his fingers together repeatedly. This is his version of clapping, thanks to Leo.]

That's great, it worked! And wow, that's so cool - that's musical writing, isn't it? I've seen some of that before!

[Obviously he doesn't really understand what it is beyond that, but wow!! How cute...]

[ Yamato chalks that snapping up to Vampire things or something. He ends up grinning pretty wide, and it's a real grin, too. He's happy about this, it seems. ]

Wow...

[ Look at that! His mood has perked up significantly. He looks back at Malice and gestures towards him – ]

Come on, I'm not flying alone!

[ He can either fly alongside him or get on the music bars, if he wants. The choice is his!! ]

Hah, I could use the practice!

[Malice grins at that and hops on his own broom, ready to go!!]

You might have a bit of trouble flyin' at first, but it gets easier as you go!

[Mostly. He still hasn't fully mastered it yet but it's fine...]

[ He grins as Malice starts flying alongside him, and thankfully, it's relatively smooth sailing?? (12). Yamato looks like he's having the time of his life, experiencing the wind and speed like he is. At one point, he glances over at Malice to see if he's faring just as well as he is... ]

[Malice still hasn't quite worked out how to control the speed all that well, so sometimes he zips ahead and then has to double back - he mostly just likes to go fast. But it's not all that bad over here either, that aside!

After a bit of flying, we'll come across that little town again... looks like it might be time for more knick-knacks?? (no)]

You wanna stop on by, since we're here anyway?

[ Oh, shopping? Yeah, he's in a good mood, so he's down. ]

Yeah, sure!

[ He'll call out from across the way, and he follows Malice towards the little town, down, down...and he makes a smooth landing. He's a natural!! ]

Are we going shopping?

[Yamato has found what he's great at, good for him!! Malice's landing is a little rough, but he's a vampire with damn good reflexes, so he lands on his feet and desummons his broom.]

Yeah! Might as well look around an' see what they've got, yeah? C'mon!

[And off we go, milling our way through the various stalls - feel free to stop him if you see anything you'd like to look at closer!]

[ Yamato walks, looking around until they pass by a food booth. The food smells particularly savory here and extremely appealing, and Yamato can't help but curiously peek at whatever's cooking...

...but he remembers Malice is here, and he swiftly turns to look at him. ]

Ah, sorry. We can keep going.

[When Yamato pauses, Malice doubles back to see what he's looking at. Oh, food! What kind of food is it?]

Nah, it's fine. If you've gotta eat, go right ahead! It's not gonna bother me any.

[He's fed recently, so he's good!!]

Are you sure? You aren't...hungry?

[ For lack of a better way to put it. He won't say no if Malice is okay with it, though. ]

Hah, no, I'm fine. I fed— ate recently. So don't worry 'bout it!

[how you doing fellow humans—

But no, the smell of this food won't make him hungry or anything, so snack away, Yamato!]

Ah, understood.

[ He gets your drift, Malice! Yamato will go ahead and help himself to a small plate of some kind of meat. It smells good and nicely seasoned.

He'll grab a table for them to sit at. ]

You've figured out a good source for food, then?

[Malice joins him, sitting and crossing one leg over the other as he continues to study the meat curiously.]

For now, yeah. I've got a few options.

[Better not to elaborate on it in public, but it's not like he's keeping it a secret or anything.]

What kinda meat is that? What's it taste like?

[He can't eat it (for obvious reasons) but human food is always so vastly different... He swears he's never seen the same dish twice!!]

[ He'll catch his drift and ask about it at the manor. For now, though, he'll take a bite out of his food and chew on it.

Hm.

It's actually really, really good. His eyes light up, delighted by the taste. ]

It's savory. It's got some seasoning on it that gives it a little kick, but not anything too strong that I can't eat it. I can't handle stronger tastes, so not everyone'll be a fan of this, but it tastes perfect to me.

Stronger tastes, huh... So is it...

[He frowns, thinking about how the humans used to describe food to him.]

Bitter? That's the one most people don't like, I think. Or is that sour?

Nah, bitter isn't one of my favorites either. It's a little more on the "spicy" or "salty" side, but it's just bland enough to not have an overpowering taste.

[ He shrugs, nonchalantly. ]

Not everyone likes weak-tasting food.

Huh! So it's good, then? Better than the food at the manor?

[solomon exists back there..........]

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