IC Inbox - Ryslig

[blap_blap]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, TIMOTHY LAWRENCE. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 011.11.201.45 *** mrhandsome69 has joined 011.11.201.45 <USERNAME> First sentence of message. <BANNED USER> SCREENED MESSAGE. UNSCREEN? Y/N -- sample for when you ban someone <USERNAME> First sentence of message. <USERNAME> First sentence of message.

Comments

[blap_blap]

idk i guess i made this bed so i get to die screaming in it or whatever

well now you know my tragic backstory. rate and review.

< kyouken >

[justbeingknife]

Tim,
It's time for cherry blossoms.

[ That was it. That was the explanation. ]

You busy Saturday?

< mrhandsome69 >

[blap_blap]

[Okay, Tim, when somebody asks you out over text, you're supposed to wait a little while before responding so that you don't seem desperate.]

[Tim replied immediately.]

no, i'm not busy at all. i'd love to go see them with you, if that's what you're asking.

[justbeingknife]

Sure am.

[ Brief pause. He should clarify, right? Just in case Tim misunderstood about this being a friendly outing. ]

This is a date, by the way. I'm askin' you out.

If you're still interested, I was thinkin' it'd be nice to bring snacks or drinks along. I found a spot a little ways outside town.

strikes were typed and erased

[blap_blap]

[So there was a bit of a delay between when Tim received this message and answered it, on account of the fact that he had to get up and bury his face in his pillow to, like, compose himself.]

yes absolutely i'm a hundred percent interested, this sounds like the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me great

do you want me to handle the snacks and drinks? i could do that

[justbeingknife]

Sure. You wanna go together, right? Pick up somethin' on the way there?

[ It occurred to him that he didn't actually know what foods Tim liked, other than whiskey, gummi bears, and coffee. Something he should address, honestly -- on general principle, and because...

Well, he wanted to. ]

I can ask around for a good corner cafe.

[blap_blap]

[Well, whiskey and coffee were kind of staples of his diet, so he wasn't exactly far off.]

sure, that sounds like a plan

when do you want me to meet you?

[justbeingknife]

[ Tbf, whiskey and coffee were also staples of Majima's diet. ]

How about 2? At [address].

Checked the forecast, shouldn't be any wind or rain. Lemme know if ya need me to bring anythin' else?

[ When Saturday rolled around, Majima would be out there, waiting in casual clothes in the light of early afternoon: v-neck shirt that still kept his ink covered, slacks. He was brushing a bit of extra wolf hair off his collar -- how did it even get on when he wasn't currently furry? ]

[restinglichface]

fuck
are u trying to tell me fantasy hammerman doesnt hold up??
now im even more depressed

[restinglichface]

eeeeeeehhhh

4/10
needs more competent women kicking ass in it tbh
but as far as tragic backstories goes
it sure holds up

[blap_blap]

well you didn't ask me about athena

[blap_blap]

yeah, sorry, it sucks and your waifu is trash

[blap_blap]

just bring yourself and that'll be more than enough

[On Saturday, when Tim showed up at two o'clock, he was a little more dressed up than Majima-- a button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and a vest, with pressed slacks. He'd even lacquered his hooves, which was a weird thing to have to do now, but the closest he could get to wearing nice shoes these days. (No tie-- but he'd debated for about forty minutes earlier that day about whether or not he should wear one. Apparently he'd made the right call to leave it at home.)]

[He'd brought a blanket with him, too. Since they were getting snacks, he figured that they might want to sit, and they might as well have something to sit on.]

Hi! Hey. Um, I didn't keep you waiting, did I?

[justbeingknife]

Okay, then. It's a date.

[ Majima spotted that blanket, good call Tim. ]

Nah, not at all. Came prepared, huh?

[ He broke into a smile as he took a few steps down the street to meet Tim. Today? They seemed to come easier. It was spring, there were puffy pink balls of flowers to take in, the day was sunny... and he was in good company. ]

Our cafe's over there. I have it on good authority that their chocolate croissants are on point.

[ And he pointed to a cozy-looking little establishment. Name? 'You're Grounded'. The tantalizing aroma of coffee filled the air as the door swung open and a lady came out with a big bag of bagels. ]

[restinglichface]

well shit tell me more

[restinglichface]

uh excuse u????
take that back immediately before i come for ur beefy ass

[blap_blap]

ok so she's part of the whole like team that i was a part of and she's this badass ex assassin lady who fights with a sword and shield. she throws the shield too? it's pretty cool

she's also super scary but she doesn't terrify me on a deep and visceral level like nisha does. like athena could totally hand my entire ass back to me but she wouldn't get off on it or anything.

and i like her girlfriend too.

[blap_blap]

it's not my fault if you can't handle the truth!!

[blap_blap]

It's just in case we need it.

[Couldn't hurt, and it wasn't like it was cumbersome. So, no reason not to.]

[And any day that Tim got to hang out with Majima was a good day. So today was already starting out good! And, really, it was sunny and he was going to go see cherry blossoms with a guy he liked... yeah, something would have to go catastrophically wrong to make this a bad day.]

[Fingers crossed.]

[The cafe that Majima had found seemed lovely, and Tim grinned when he saw the punny name. Apparently Majima had a thing for puns, which was kind of cute? The big bad gangster man with a thing for wordplay. Who would've thought?]

Well, I like carbs and I like chocolate, so that sounds great to me.

[No reason to stand around outside-- might as well go in and see what they had to offer. Which may have been a mistake, because along with the bagels and croissants, there was a glass case that had cute pastries, and Tim was drawn to it like a magnet. Donuts with kitty faces, creme puffs with the filling shaped like panda bears, macarons decorated to look like fruit slices. Three guesses as to which one Tim was drawn to first.]

Oh, these are so cute!

[justbeingknife]

They are, ain't they? Whoever runs this place must be real creative.

[ Tim was so weirdly adorable sometimes, but he was right -- they were cute. He moved over to the front of the case next to Tim, gravitating towards a display of tiny petal-themed petit fours. There was a selection of lemon bars, too, and bunny-shapped rolls, cupcakes with swirls of frosting... ]

So the kitty donuts, and the cherry blossom cakes. It says they got cherry filling, and I gotta try that.

[ Look he was into it, he loved seasonal junk. His side brushed against Tim's as he swept his gaze across the furthest corners of the glass case. ]

By the way, you're lookin' sharp today. Did ya polish your hooves?

[ Don't think he didn't notice, Tim. Although his favorite part of the ensemble was the exposed forearms, hands down. ]

[blap_blap]

[They say that sex sells, but apparently, so does cuteness. It certainly was a viable marketing strategy to Tim.]

Yeah, definitely, let's go with those. You've got a theme and you're sticking to it, huh?

[That's definitely cute. And now Tim knew that Majima liked cherries, both the fruit and the flower, or possibly just liked cherries in the springtime? Maybe it was like pumpkin spice in the fall, something that people liked to get at one particular time of the year and then forgot about for the other 300 days of it.]

[Tim rubbed the back of his neck and completely failed to not blush at the compliment. It was kind of nice to have the effort that he put in get noticed, though.]

Oh, thanks. I, um, well, I can't wear shoes anymore, so this was kind of the next best thing. And I just wanted to, uh, look nice.

[The person behind the counter was gathering up their order-- the kitty donuts and petit fours. Tim also asked her for a couple of the chocolate croissants, since they were recommended.]

Do you want something to drink, too?

[Tim was picking up this tab, so might as well get something nice.]

[justbeingknife]

Japan's big on seasonal food. Come spring, there're a lot of cherry-blossom themes. Strawberries, too... but I'm not sure what ya eat when out here.

[ He'd never given it much thought before, but now he sort of missed the air of limited-time-only novelty products. And speaking of things flushed red, that blush suited Tim surprisingly well. Maybe it was the contrast between the build and the behavior: jacked dude that loved kitties and, apparently, compliments. ]

I'd like green tea if that's an option. Otherwise, I'll take a black coffee.

[ So coffee it was! The clerk started gathering up all the pastries and putting them in a neat carrying box. ]

Takes me forever to keep my fur looking nice [ or at least it did compared to his hair, which was black and glossy and well-behaved without effort, everyone hate him ], especially now that it's spring. I wondered if it isn't the same for you.

[blap_blap]

[He loved kitties-- and one of those donuts looked a lot like the kitty that he'd adopted after the bug doppelganger fiasco, so really, how could he resist it-- and probably everyone liked compliments. The former was always a weakness of his, and the latter was in part from the fact that he didn't get them very often.]

[Two coffees were added onto that order, because Tim could really drink it at any time of the day, even if it was inadvisable to do so, and the clerk was busy for a few minutes with getting everything together.]

Oh, yeah, it is. Talk about problems I never thought I'd have to deal with. [Tim had enough issues dealing with his normal stupid hair, it was thick and never liked to do what he wanted it to do unless he used a lot of product. (He is kind of jealous of Majima's dark, pin straight, sleek hair.) Now he also had to deal with half of his body going through a shed.] I guess it's not as bad for me, since I only have half of me to worry about? And there are brushes for that kind of thing.

[Shedder brushes were a godsend.]

[justbeingknife]

They --

[ Oh. Oh. Fuck.

It wasn't like the idea hadn't occurred to Majima at all that he might benefit from some of the same products as...................

canines, it was just that he didn't want to deal with the clerk while he bought fucking dog shampoo for himself, okay? The stares and combined shame would probably make him burst into flames, and not the fun kind. Majima nabbed the carry box and one coffee, leaving the last cup for Tim as he tried to strategize

no fuck it ]

...Where do ya shop for those?

[ look don't say petsmart ]

[blap_blap]

[Well, Majima sure as fuck booked it out of there. Tim paid for the pastries and the coffees, snagged his own, then followed him outside. Maybe he was, uh, a little too indiscreet there about talking about dealing with the hair issue? He made a mental note to be a little more sensitive about it. Tim didn't want to embarrass him, though he also didn't want to leave Majima hanging if he was suffering through shedding season with no relief.]

[Majima's fur was lovely and fluffy, but dear god, it would be hell when the weather got really warm if he was stuck with it. Tim had a lot less to deal with and it was still kind of uncomfortable.]

Oh, uh, I go to a salon. [Because... that's where you go for hair stuff. And hoof stuff, in his case. Pedicures were infinitely more important now than they ever had been.] There are some that cater just to, you know, people like us, and they sell all sorts of things for... personal grooming?

[Was that term not going to upset him?]

How... how have you been dealing with it?