Floor 2, Room 3

[troublereduction]

JOYOUS DAY

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[dadsandals]

Good. I'm glad.

[ He also gets a genuine smile in return. ]

Now...let's get your mind off of that stuff for now, yeah? Tell me about something fun.

[troublereduction]

Oh, a bunch of stuff showed up in my room the other day, if you wanna take a looksie?

[dadsandals]

Sure. What've you got?

[ Peeking at his pile of stuff! ]

[troublereduction]

[ There's a weird assortment of things, like incense, candies, a pair of rings and a magical charm...

...that is glowing for some reason??? ]

Huh?

[dadsandals]

[ That sure is an ominous glow, eh? ]

Hmm, what's that all about?

[troublereduction]

Beats me. This is the first time it's doin' it.

[ He picks it up to examine it. Besides the glowing, it doesn't seem to do anything else? ]

[dadsandals]

Weird.

[ Is it because he's here, he wonders. ]

Oh, well. As long as it doesn't do anything crazy, we can just leave it, I think?

[troublereduction]

I guess I could test out what happens if I bring out and about in the manor...

[ He gestures at the rings. ]

These came in a pair, for some reason.

[dadsandals]

A pair, eh? Did you wanna test that out?

[ He proooobably shouldn't offer himself up for that so easily, given recent events, but eh!! He likes Day well enough. Why not. ]

[troublereduction]

[ Yamato and Day, moments before disaster: ]

Sure, why not.

[ He holds out one of the rings for Yamato to take, then goes slip the other one on a finger. ]

[dadsandals]

[ He'll go ahead and slip the ring on his index finger, then, and he gives it a little onceover. ]

Huh. This one's not glowing at all. What does it do?

[troublereduction]

It ain't like they came with instructions...

[ Yamato can, for some reason, sense confusion and curiosity coming from Day as he examines the ring. It's set against a backdrop of worry, a vague sense of anxiety that's trying to account for all possibilities in an unknowable future despite knowing that's futile, and restlessness that wants to solve problems. That those feelings aren't stronger is because he's actively trying to focus on other things right now. ]

[dadsandals]

[ He...sure does. Hm. He looks at Day with wide eyes for a moment, quiet, like he's seen a ghost almost, but that expression mellows out into something more understanding after a few seconds.

Day, on the other hand, will feel a lot of pain. Sadness. Regret. It's not a pleasant time in Yamato land, apparently. But...there is also a sense of camaraderie and some semblance of closeness here, too. ]

[troublereduction]

[ For a moment, Day is alarmed by Yamato's initial reaction, wondering what on earth happened, and then he notices everything else going on. There's a flare of knee-jerk panic, the kind where someone's going "oh, shit", then everything else hits him, and...

Day relaxes, somewhat. Because yeah, he gets it, too. ]

...Havin' a hard time, huh?

[dadsandals]

...Haha. Wonder what could've given that away.

[ Embarrassed. He's embarrassed. This is a very deep part of him that he doesn't want others to see, but he actually likes Day, so there will be no lashing out on his end. ]

It's alright, though. Things've always been this way.

[troublereduction]

[ "Things've always been this way.", and Day finds himself worrying again. It's the sympathy of someone who thinks people ought to be able to be happy. ]

...Do you wanna talk about it? We can take off the rings. [ He's pretty sure it's the rings' fault. ]

[dadsandals]

...

[ Does he want to talk about it? Not particularly, to be honest, but he's already told a few about his history. And, again, he likes Day. Maybe opening up won't be as bad as he thinks.

He removes his ring quietly, looks down at his hands. ]

I had a hard time with something before I wound up here. I told you that I'm an idol, right? ... I got into a fight with one of the group members. He was frustrated that I didn't open up to him about issues that were clearly bothering me.

[troublereduction]

[ Day also removes his, filing away a mental note that these rings aren't to be used lightly. The things that show up in his room... ]

What were you keepin' from him? [ He figures it has to be something big for Yamato to be cagey about. ]

[dadsandals]

...My personal history. All of it. I joined that group to get revenge because of it, and...my motives were impure. I was ashamed to say anything to him about it.

[ And now, he's ashamed of how he acted. So there's that, too. ]

I'm the lovechild of a famous actor and his mistress. He's not my legal father, either. He hid that from me while he was off spearheading a secret group of actors, covering up for each other's dirty secrets. I found out everything on my own.

He never spoke to me about it himself.

[troublereduction]

[ Day won't claim to totally understand the idol thing—he thinks gets the gist of it, mostly—but he understands scandal and dirty secrets. In that regard, it's not so different from any of the nobility and their politics that he's encountered no matter where he was in Creation. ]

...And I'm guessin' you also didn't want to say anything because of how it might affect the group's reputation? [ It's a bit of a stab in the dark, but he knows how it goes: even if there were ulterior motives, people can't help forming real connections and attachments. And as far as Day could see, Yamato is someone kind enough to feel guilt for both that and potentially putting other people at risk. ]

[dadsandals]

Yeah. Exactly that.

[ Is he that easy to read, he wonders? He doesn't know how he feels about it, but if Day gets it, if Day understands...talking about it wouldn't have been so bad, after all. ]

If they go down because of me and my history, I -- I don't think I'd ever forgive myself for it. It's been on my mind, since I got here. It's been rough.

[troublereduction]

[ It might be less that Yamato is easy to read and more Day has somehow gotten a good enough read on him—but who knows?

Day doesn't say anything at first. His fingers lightly tap on the table while he thinks, because while doesn't want to speak recklessly, he doesn't want to seem insincere either. ]

I ain't gonna claim I know them well, but from what I can tell you have people who love you enough to come runnin' after you. I think anyone who'd want to grab hold of you like that ain't gonna be so concerned 'bout things like "liability" so much as they'd be worried 'bout your happiness. It ain't like you can find love like that on the ground every day, yeah? [ He should know a thing or two about that. ]

And, well... [ There's a very wry, dry smile. ] A lot of things survive scandal more often than you'd think. But a love that is severed usually can't be fixed, and I think you already know what's more important.

[dadsandals]

...Day...

[ The words he's saying -- even if he doesn't know IDOLiSH7, even if he doesn't know the truth, his words are at least comforting. And somehow, they seem right. Does he love IDOLiSH7? Do they love him, too?

Yes. And...yes, is his hope. Maybe one day he'll be able to believe it fully. For now, though, this will do.

His lips curl upward into a smile. ]

Thank you. I mean it.

[ He's a good guy, Yamato thinks, and if they were still wearing their rings, Day'd have felt that gratefulness radiating from him. ]

I needed someone to tell me that, I think.

[troublereduction]

[ Day returns the smile, warm and gentle. He rests an elbow on the table, so he can prop his head up with a hand. ]

You're welcome. Everyone needs a little push now and then.

And I guess it's already obvious, but you don't gotta worry about the whole hidden lovechild thing with me. Technically I'd count as a bastard myself?

[dadsandals]

I kind of got that, yeah.

[ Another one, huh. Geez. He, Malice, and Day should form a club at this point. ]

Do you feel like talking about that? Might be nice to commiserate or something, but it's up to you. I know it's a sensitive subject for a lot of people. It is for me.

[ But he opened up anyway. That, to him, says more about Day than it does himself. ]