final curfew pcs in sitting room

[fetteredwings]

a succubus,a normal? boy and a doll gather in a room full of books, snacks and plushies

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[renjou]

( He perks up, very much liking the sound of that— )

Ah, you're right, I could . . .

( . . . And then he seems to realize something, and his demeanor grows a little more hesitant. )

. . . Well, if the opportunity arises, I would love to. I've always thought it might be a nice idea.

[revengier]

[ He looks up at Yuki, furrowing his brows. There’s something there, something he could nudge and ask about…

But he decides not to. Not right now. ]

You would do well at it. Older people like your type.

[renjou]

( He smiles, not at all displeased by the distraction. )

Oh? What would you describe as "my type"?

[revengier]

Overbearing. The kind of person who doles out too much affection.

[ He has a sip of his tea. ]

You fuss too much, but that would be welcome too.

[renjou]

No such thing as "too much" when it comes to these things.

( Does he actually believe that? Well... he thinks so. Does he believe most other people like that? That . . . is a more complicated question. Honestly... probably... not... but... He doesn't know any other way to be. )

I do quite like the elderly, and I believe they are worthy of this excessive affection in their venerable age.

( He's obviously met his share of crochety folk, but shhh. )

Besides, they're often generous with their compliments. They would always call me cute and beautiful . . . and if I could have returned the favor at those times, I would have loved to.

( guy who mostly only gets to meet old people while a doll, )

[revengier]

[ Ah, yes old ladies going "look at that lovely doll"....

There's definitely too much of those things, but not everyone agrees. Some people seek it out, after all. ]

So you mostly want compliments?

[ An incredibly pointed question, but he sips his tea as he asks. It's not totally serious. ]

[renjou]

( Shamelessly: )

I accept any and all kinds of love, but I certainly like and appreciate compliments, physical affection, heartfelt gestures, homemade meals, attention . . .

( the list could go on, but he will spare pika )

[revengier]

[ Just....

Staring at him over his mug. ]

Are you being serious?

[renjou]

Why wouldn't I be? I am a doll. We live and die by how much we are loved.

( He's probably been sipping his own drink idly, but he seems pretty happy to see other people drinking the thing he made. )

As long as it means something to the person giving it, then it is meaningful to me.

[revengier]

You should think about more than how much you're loved.

[ For his own sanity. It's fine to an extent, he thinks... but it shouldn't be all one cares about.

It all goes back to free will. ]

[renjou]

( pika is right on the ball because it truly is a strain on his sanity, )

What else is there?

[revengier]

Anything else.

[ Like. Anything. Anything at all. ]

Is it all you think about?

[renjou]

Well, of course I also think about my duties, my masters . . . And the people I've met here.

( And, uh, all the stuff going on here, but that's a given. )

Until I came here, I will confess my world was ( still is? ) rather small. It extended as far as my master's home, collector's shops, the clan compound, the sites of purification . . . and wherever my masters might take me in their purses and bags.

[revengier]

[ Oh. Huh. He didn't think about it that way—it's hard to reconcile Yuki here, as tall as him and also... in a purse?

But he relates, in a way. His world used to be limited, too. ]

You never thought about what might be beyond all of that?

[renjou]

( He falls into a brief period of thought. )

. . . Sometimes. Even I am not above it. But, I cannot move when I am fully a doll, and when I was in this form, I would be carrying out my duties - purification, or attending to my master. There was no space for me to do anything else.

( At least, that's how he seems to view it. )

I've just felt fortunate I can move and talk at all, sometimes. Almost no other doll can. ( The exceptions are but a handful, or thereabouts. ) And if I am greedy . . . well, it is not so here, but, in my usual circumstance . . . to stray from my purpose means I might stop being able to move and speak entirely.

( So it's not super worth it to wonder. He wouldn't be able to pursue it. )

[revengier]

[ His purpose is tied intrinsically to his ability to exist the way that he does... It's a strange limitation, but one that he supposes makes sense. ]

You'd be giving up on something important to you, then.

[ Something that makes Yuki himself, that allows him to exist as he is. ]

I grew up in a small village, where we were isolated from the rest of civilization. Getting out felt impossible, but as a child, I was solely focused on it.

[ He has a sip of his tea. ]

There's always a loophole somewhere.

[renjou]

( Oh, that's . . . hm.

well let's hope the loophole isn't genocide in yuki's case )

. . . What was your village like?

[revengier]

[ He settles back against the couch, mug still clutched in his hands. There's a bit of distance in his voice as he speaks, like the memories are far away. ]

We moved around a lot, so we didn't settle in one place for too long and mostly relied on what the forest provided. Our numbers were small, but we were happy.

[renjou]

( worryfrog... But Kurapika is pretty assertive about when he doesn't want to talk about something, so Yuki trusts that. )

... It doesn't sound like you ran away, then.

( Since Kurapika mentioned a loophole, and all. Despite my meta, he can't imagine Kurapika would describe what happened eventually as a loophole, either. So... something else? )

[revengier]

I left, but it was for good reason.

[ He wonders if he should divulge more, and he takes another sip of his tea to buy himself time.

…

Why not. ]

We had to pass an exam if we wanted to leave, so I studied for it and passed the written portion. The other portion… I cheated.

[renjou]

( Huh. Surprisingly pragmatic way to leave.

He raises an eyebrow at the cheating bit, taking note of the delay in answer. )

Cheated in what way?

[revengier]

My people possessed a specific trait that we needed to hide if we wanted to live in greater society. One of the tests was to ensure we could spend a day out without letting that trait get the better of us. I was supposed to take eyedrops that would reveal whether or not it had, but my friend switched them at the last moment to regular eye drops.

[ … ]

I failed it, but passed because the village elder never had evidence that I failed.

[renjou]

... That was terribly kind of them.

( Maybe it was cheating, and maybe the test had a purpose, but ... well, the past is past, and the dead are dead. It doesn't need to be more complicated than that. )

Was the world beyond the village what you'd hoped?

[revengier]

…Not really. It was exciting at first, but on our way back, we were harassed.

[ He looks down at the remainder of his tea. ]

My trait was activated, and we were chased out.

[renjou]

That's awful. Why would they ever...

( He shakes his head, half a rhetorical question. Kurapika has been pretty vague about some things and not others, and while he does wonder...

He studies Kurapika for a few moments. )

... Is this difficult on you to recall?