[He's glad he's wearing a damn jacket. Those freezing fingers on his bare skin in this temperature would have him yelling at Esikko other wise. The day Esikko says he's not girly, Bakugo's going to laugh at him while "Dude Looks Like a Lady" plays in the background. He could totally pass for a princess without any effort! Not that the blonde's encouraging that kind of crap. He already got into an argument with Hiyori about the idol's princess costume idea needing a pair of tits to make it complete. Damn Parrot.]
The highest ranks are fucking royalty here. They want people to look clean and proper, so everyone else will be jealous and try to rank up. Why would they rank you up and not suck up to you at the same time?
[Transgressions likely forgiven and put to rest so Esikko might be even more indebted to the Peacock. While giving the entity a hold over the prince's head, threatening to return the mark should he step out of line again.]
I suppose it's not the most idiotic idea I've heard.
( That's a compliment, believe it or not, spoken in a mumble as they walk. He is seriously considering it, the idea of having his slate "wiped clean" in such a way. But it would make no sense, then, that he'd gotten away with murder as a lowly three, especially of a higher rank. It clashes, too, with the way those roots had tied together, with the way suits shone with great importance but ranks less so. So is it personal, whether someone finds the rank system motivating or not? Does the House care? If it did, would the spread be so consistently even?
These are all thoughts he can't exactly share with the hero, here, so he just goes quiet for a moment before humming in a sort of quiet agreement at that last part. )
Well, it certainly is. You're right about that.
( The elevators are next, an easy thing to take down to the lowest level possible before he had to face the stairs, and so he stops them in front of them to hit the button. )
It's fucking logical! What other way can you see it?
[He's not gonna take a backhanded compliment with a smile either. There's no way for Bakugo to know if he's right or not, considering the hotel works on its own whims. He knows a few high ranks that have scars, wounds, problems, shit something obsessed with "perfect" temptations would probably have reason to get rid of. Would they really pardon Esikko for his transgressions against them simply because he ranked up? Maybe, since it would convince the guy even further to play their game and stay in line...
Does the resort really give a shit whether the guests kill, fight, plot against each other? Hell no! Otherwise it wouldn't have made a fucking RANK system encouraging abuse amid a ratrace for better options! While focusing on making everyone fuck each other. They're nothing more than toys, even trash, to the being running this glamorized shitshow.]
When everyone in this place reaches the high rank, there won't be anyone left to step on.
[Muttered to himself. He has no intention of remaining a low rank, since he can help more people as a high rank, and sex is happening whether he "wants" it to or not. Might as well make use of what he can get.
Oh, elevators.]
What floor are you going to?
[Because Bakugo's heading for the stairs. He's not once taken an elevator the entire time he's been here and today's not the day he's going to change that decision.]
( That first comment is true, too. There must be some system in place keeping everyone from ranking up. Maybe that's why some people that try to rank up don't manage? He has no idea, but it's certainly something he's curious about, something he's looking into along with the rest of it.
Esikko's thoughts are put on pause when Bakugo seems to take a couple extra steps away from the elevators to ask him that question. He pauses, allowing his arm to slip away just so he can place his hand on his hip instead. )
The lobby, since it's the lowest they'll go. Then I take the stairs down to the rank two levels.
( His head tilts slightly. )
Are you troubled by cramped spaces or something? I'm afraid I can't handle that many flights of stairs regularly, or my heart or lungs tend to give me trouble.
( He has taken multiple flights of stairs before. Just, in order to be ready for the moments he has to do that, he has learned he has to take it easy other times. )
[Putting the top levels as a prize everyone wants to strive for, the question becomes, what the fuck happens when everyone gets the prize? Is there enough to go around? Will they simply stop fucking once they've succeeded? Or will the Peacock start threatening to take away their comforts if they don't comply. To say nothing of bad blood causing people to backstab and cast down others. Bakugo has questions, but like most people, only speculations for answers.
He stops at the door of the stairs, looking over his shoulder at Esikko for the answer. Lobby floor, then down to the rest. That's easy enough. With a metal "ka-chuck" the door's handle depresses under his palm and Bakugo pushes it open.]
Had enough people warn me to stay away from them.
[And that was during his first two weeks here. No less than three people said it on his first damn day.]
I'll meet you in the lobby.
[Of course he's not going to strain Esikko's physical limits by demanding he come with. But he's not going to trap himself in the elevator for whatever potential bullshit goes on in there either.]
( Elevator warnings. Right. He recalls, on the first day he was here, he had become stuck in a number of elevator rides, trying to get from his stupid "wedding" suite to everything else in the hotel. But it had been just like any of the other things here— fuck and free yourself. So the idea of a warning like that being enough to keep Bakugo from wanting to enter with him has him a vague kind of disappointed, for some reason. He almost wants to call out that he's a poor escort for that reason, but the scarf around his neck and the bag of shirts makes it hard to say that he's done anything but go out of the way for him.
So he refrains, keeps it to himself. )
Right.
( Bakugo vanishes behind the door, and Esikko waits for the elevator to step onto it. He didn't really need an escort, or anything like it. He could defend himself in many situations, with the vials of his own magic he kept on him, and with the new knowledge of just enough martial arts that Bakugo has been helping him with. The idea was, instead, company...
But it's not like he can just demand company from anyone. At least, that doesn't feel like a thing that he should be able to do— it's silly, it's embarrassing, it's something he struggles with with even the closest person to him here, so it's natural to find it too shameful to even bring up to someone he can only imagine thinks of him as something closer to a stranger.
When the quiet elevator ride is over, Esikko steps out and glances towards the door that leads to the stairwell of the basement levels. )
[If it was only the sex part, he might have considered it before now. But the warnings he got weren't only the perverted kind. It sounded like some people had really encountered something bad in the elevators, beyond teasing ghosts or weird portraits. Either way, Bakugo has no intention of putting himself in such a situation. He'd rather carry Esikko down the whole stairway than get into the elevator. Unfortunately that option isn't put on the proverbial table and the young hero's not a nice enough person to abruptly transform into "charming" for the prince.
Don't take it personally, Esikko. There's no one at the door to the stairs when Esikko gets out of the elevator.
Because Bakugo's leaning against the wall, arms crossed and radiating his usual "fuck off" vibes, right beside the elevator itself. If the doors open and Esikko's in trouble, he'll be there to rip him out of it. Plus he easily dropped right down through the stairwell rather than taking the steps, so of course he beat the elevator to the lobby floor.
He glances aside when Esikko steps out of the elevator, arms falling to his profile as he pushes off the wall and walks over.] Took it long enough. That thing's too damn slow.
( It's a product of his upbringing, of what he was and wasn't shown in the form of emotion, that he struggles with basic ideas. That he gets so moody, so unfairly sensitive, and most of all so confused with it all. At the very least, Esikko has grown enough in this place to realize that maybe he's the one who needs to learn a few things, no matter how miserable he feels— so it's not as if he's holding any ill will towards Bakugo for not reading his mind. That would have been different before.
As it is right now, seeing him waiting for him outside of the elevator is enough to earn a pleased sort of relaxation. He reaches to grab one of his arms, again— so touchy— and breathes out a laugh as they move, the lonely moment of the elevator already forgotten. )
It's much faster than me on the stairway, though I certainly wouldn't complain if someone could make it faster. Or should I just ride you down the stairs, next time?
[Bakugo's never been fond of clingy people, whether it's Midoriya tailing him as a kid wanting to know all the things or it's Kirishima dropping an arm on his shoulder to chatter into his ear. Invading his personal space is a great way to piss him off, even though some people earned less violent reactions. He may be a lone wolf, preferring to stick to his own, but he's not a loner who spends all his days atop a mountain with no human interaction. Of course people are drawn to spend time with each other! But letting that saturate you to the point of being miserable without company is pathetic. Learn to be strong on your own rather than relying on others to be your only strength.
Bakugo rolls his eyes when Esikko latches onto him like a damn koala again. Ugh, this guy... He doesn't shake him off as he makes tracks across the lobby. Luckily it doesn't seem like the guards are coming after them. Cover the mark canceled their animosity. What other bullshit can the hotel brand their bodies with? He doesn't want to know.]
Haa?! I'll drop you over the railing next time! [And catch him, obviously.] Mattaku... [What a pain.] You can't fly with your magic?
( Ironically, it's Esikko's stubborn determination to find his own strength that always makes things end so poorly for him. Finding it never fixed anything. Strength never helped— even if he still thinks he can make it, still thinks he can change things to work the way he wants.
Bickering is something he falls into easily, and so he clicks his tongue in his irritation as they move down the stairs, using his shallow cling to Bakugo's arm as a source of warmth. )
My magic isn't some instant use nonsense like you quirk users manage to have. It takes time and set up and exchange. Do you have any idea the strain that flight would put on a human body? That's not a realistic spell at all.
( As if Bakugo could have any idea what makes sense or not with Esikko's magic... Still, it's a sore point. He can use magic "quickly" in some cases, cases like back with the paintings and the fire, but it puts a huge strain on his body, on his life. )
[Bakugo would challenge that notion immediately. How the hell can someone trying to get stronger always fail?! Ignoring stupid or evil choices that screw everyone else over or sacrifice things that shouldn't be. They'll have to talk about such a thing later, since he'll be incredulous, angry, but ironically doggedly supportive.
Letting Esikko sidle close to him is way more irritating in the cooler weather than the heat of the summer. He tolerates it for now, glad he's wearing a sweater at the moment. Despite focusing on Esikko for the most part, Bakugo keeps an eye out for any trouble approaching them.]
How the hell do people in your world fight then if it takes you so long to cast a spell?
[Unless the magical people sit behind lines of physical fighters, prepare shit, then fire once everything's set up. Not the worst way, but it seriously inhibits a magic-user's personal ability if someone gets in close range... Someone should've seen that major flaw and worked on fast-tracking spells by now!]
The look that question earns from Esikko is nothing short of puzzled, like he doesn't fully comprehend the idea. A brief pause allows him to see it, at least— sure, in a world where magic could fly from one's fingers so easily, if he could create explosions, or fire, or put people into little marbles, then of course that would be useful in a fight. But for him, that's not what magic is. His own use of it is far from standard, stretching its limits, and even then, it would not be useful in a fight without assistance. )
With blades and bows? Magic isn't really suited for war or anything, you know. Oh— firearms are a recent thing, as well.
( He loosens his death grip on Bakugo's arm a little, relaxing his hold as they move, and it's clear that he's already a little out of breath from this small walk down stairs alone. The chase from earlier didn't help. )
Most people don't use magic at all, anymore. My father didn't want me to learn it, either.
[Whenever he wants to try and hope Bakugo's not in a dismissive mood.
Great, getting that kind of look after such a question? Gonna have a hell of an answer, or a real shit short one. This guy's version of magic probably isn't the combative type. Bakugo comes from a world where most everyone's superhuman abilities are instant, ready to be activated whenever they want, bar the ones which require stockpiling "ammo" of sorts.
He glances to the side when Esikko loosens his grip on his arm, gauging it as relaxing the tension rather than preparing to let go. Hmph, if he had, Bakugo would've glared at him for being weird. Already starting to get winded after riding down the elevator. That's really sad. They reach the next floor and Bakugo makes for the door.]
Getting a drink.
[Give him a minute to bend over the nearby water fountain. Esikko can take a rest on a cushioned bench in the hall close by. How convenient.]
I thought your world was magical.
[It's half protest, half explanation for why he viewed Esikko's power the way he did. Thought the guy came from some fantasy-flavored version of the world. But with combat using physical weapons, even guns... huh.]
( A drink... Part of him is grateful for the break, though the other part wonders if stopping is just going to make it more difficult to start again. It's fine, though, with only a couple more flights of stairs left, and so Esikko sits down on the bench with a soft little sigh, setting his bag nearby and shifting to check the tag still hanging from his own shirt. He'll remove this properly in his room, so not to tear the fabric. )
The world has magic, but any world does.
( From what he knows, anyway. His fingers trace along the edges of his sleeve as he waits patiently. )
I learned it because I'm interested in it. I was sickly from birth, so I wasn't allowed outdoors. Most of my time was spent in the library, then, and reading those books about magic, about how you could create and shift and alter reality and wield your own type of strength— it sounded far more interesting than being a Prince.
I suppose I thought it might be some way to combat the weakness of my own body, too.
( He's looking off in some other direction now, frowning a little. )
[If he thinks Bakugo was joking about dropping him down the stairs, he's delusional. The stairwell isn't as grand as those lobby and up, but even drab stone descents with metal railings have a wide open area they circle round. Easily large enough to drop two or three bodies down without issue. He takes his time with his drink, leaving Esikko to rest without having to speak up about his exhaustion. Must be a bitch going up to the ground floor each time... two or three flights of stairs before he can reach the lobby elevator.]
Did your old man have a reason for not wanting you to learn it? Or was he a shitty bastard?
[Forbidding your sickly child from learning a skill that could give him strength and improve his standing in the world sounds really strange, even if the world didn't have common magic. Esikko had been simply trying to grow stronger. What parent would refuse that without a good reason?]
( That earns a laugh, at least, genuine if short. )
The latter. ( He gestures weakly with a hand, flipping it palm up in an almost half shrug. ) I came out the precise way he had hoped and planned for, I suppose, and he wanted to use me as his perfect little chess piece. According to him, magic was a waste of time, and he was far more obsessed with attempting to completely shift our customs and traditions into something more modern, with the countries from the south.
I was supposed to save all of my energy for my duties as a Prince, attending meetings and lessons and discussing politics, and so he had all the books related to magic removed from our library.
( He drops his hand again with a sigh. ) But he's an idiot, so I was able to find a few and hold onto them despite that, and I just practiced in secret and self-taught. I'm still learning.
[Great. Another sob story. Bakugo wipes the back of his hand over his mouth and gives it a shake as he leaves the water fountain. It makes some sense, if the man saw magic either as a danger, useless, or no one much wielded it anymore. Having your kid investing in something unhelpful would spoil those hard-laid plans to craft him in the desired image. It's a bullshit decision even if Esikko's father had logic in it.]
That's why your magic sucks outside best circumstances.
[Meaning having time to prepare and set up rather than snapping off lightning bolts from his fingers and shrinking people into mice with a flick of the stick.]
Have you looked in the library here? Most of it's shit, but you can find useful books.
It doesn't suck, it just doesn't apply in the way so many people expect. I can grow plants from my own blood, can alter fate, can defeat death— you know, it's just that no one stops to consider the alternative applications.
( There's a rush of heat in his answer, defensive and overly passionate despite his own exhaustion. He stands, once Bakugo moves back from the fountain, and scoops up the shopping bag, ready to head down the last two flights. )
In any case, yes, I have. I have a number of them checked out in my room, in fact, and I regularly look for new books that might appear.
( So he is serious about it, after all. )
Even learning about the forms of magic across different realms is useful, since I can apply it to knowledge of using my own magic here, for example.
[Bakugo turns a very wry expression on Esikko when he rattles off that list of bullshit. He doesn't want to believe it, though considering the magic he saw the man's copy pulling out of his ass during painting week, arguing it is awkward. Hence why he said magic outside Esikko's best conditions.]
If you're going to use offensive magic, you need to factor in the battle you're fighting in. Doesn't matter if you can pull the damn moon out of the sky, if it takes you five months, it sucks.
[Once Esikko gets his fire back and moves to the stairs, Bakugo pushes open the door, ready to use some of that passion to get the guy the rest of the way down to his room. Unless he wants to crash in Bakugo's third-floor room like last time. He's got an open invite.]
Hoh? [Esikko's found magic books and even cross-dimension-realm-world magic? Interest and mild impressed flickers across Bakugo's face. That's more ambitious than the guy sounded a few months ago. He likes to see that.] And your magic works with other world's magic?
Offensive magic isn't a thing. Say it sucks once more and I'll turn you into a frog.
( Can he actually do that? It's a mystery. It's largely his annoyance talking, anyway; his defensiveness, his desire to be clinging to something that matters, even if it's not instantaneous. )
But yes, in certain ways... and though this place limits certain abilities, I've yet to encounter a limit on my own. I've been slowly testing what I can between reading.
( Here they are, the two rank floor. Esikko walks slowly to where his room is located, his eyes focused ahead. )
Transfiguration's offensive magic. And I could knock you out first.
[Given what he's seen and knows of Esikko, the man's magic can be used offensively, defensively, supportive, and explorative. But it's also slow. Duh. He doesn't say it sucks though...
Besides, in Bakugo's opinion, it only sucks in the heat of battle. Given time to prepare, setup, and focus, he's confident Esikko can do impressive things. Hell if he's going to say that to his face.]
You already encountered a limit, when this place kicked your ass for yanking its roots. [Then indicates the other man's neck.] And that's still there.
[Suggesting Esikko couldn't remove it, even when it took a blade to it. Limits.]
The painting version of you. Is that what you were back home or what you could be in the future?
This— ( his free hand moves up, touching over the scarf that covers the mark at his neck ) —is a punishment, not a limit. I was able to change suit assignments and perceived memories, so all things considered, I wasn't met with much limitation.
( Even then, he wonders if he could have gone all the way if the House were less able to fight back. It's something to consider, something to poke at more and more, but the problem is that in order to make his magic do such extraordinary things, he has to break a lot of rules.
And his body can only last for so long through punishment for that.
The question earns a bit of hesitation as he slows his feet to a stop right in front of his door. It's beat up a little, scratched on the front since the staff hasn't bothered with fixing it, and he doesn't open it just yet— it's a mess inside, and he knows enough to be ashamed by that. )
Both, in a way. ( Unclear, vague... But he takes in a slow breath, smacking his Watch against the lock mechanism so that it clicks open. He doesn't swing the door open, just cracks it. )
That was me from the past. It was at that time that I wove a spell most would consider forbidden or impossible. I restarted my life, rewound everything, altered what I could and tried again. I was dying, but I wasn't ready to stop. ( He rests his hand on the doorknob. ) That was many lives ago.
... Tch. [Bakugo gives him that, though he narrows in on the idea Esikko was able to change suits. Doubtful that was a permanent thing, since it won't be for another month until everyone's suit will get swapped around. Limitations is likely semantics at this point and he doesn't want to argue it.
Of course he, all of them, could do more if the House wasn't able to fight back. Hiyori's companion could have blown through the roof, Bakugo could have wrecked the walls to the outside, the void suspending this entire thing would have been invaded by those pouring out. But frustrating as it is to admit, the House has more power than all of them. For now.
Bakugo notes Esikko's room number and location. He glances at his watch, though rather than check the time, opens the Map app and links the prince's room to a pointer so he can call it up as a destination when he needs to. He assumes Esikko pauses at the question rather than the state of his room.]
Many lives, huh... You mentioned something like that when we fought him. [As well as swallowing deities. Things Bakugo heard but didn't pay much attention to. Esikko keeps revealing new things about himself that undermine shit he said before or how the hero understands him. He's a very confusing person.]
How many lives have you lived?
[Running from your own life because you don't like it rather than bucking up and improving your state sounds cowardly and weak to him, but Esikko said he was dying, so... he holds his tongue on that opinion.]
( A tad defensive, as if he can feel the hint of judgement behind Bakugo's eyes, or that he at least expects some. He's heard it plenty of times, the words against what he's been doing, but he had been literally in the last hours of his life when first making the decision, and it's not something that can be so easily undone now. What he did undo was the chain that had been dragging another with him.
But now, where does that leave him? He tosses a cautious look to Bakugo. )
At least 20. It's difficult... for memories to maintain their integrity over time. They often take years for even flashes to resurface, and longer for me to realize I'm not simply going insane. Even here, where I've recalled so many things, I can't tell you an exact number.
( Finally, he pushes his door open. His twin bed is unmade and nearly entirely covered by folded clothes, for the lack of a closet, and a few stacks of books. The rest of the room is messy, indeed. There are plants everywhere, with lights that don't seem to have a source hovering above them, jars both clean and filled with blood, some filled with flowers, others with crushed leaves, or stems. There's bags of rabbit fur, wolf fur, and an assortment of books on magic from the library that are taking up the desk, the singular chair, the floor. There's hardly room to walk.
But hey, it smells like flowers? )
I thank you for the escort, but... well, if you wanted to stay, I'm afraid I'm limited in seating space.
[Bakugo gives him a look. If he didn't matter, he wouldn't've fucking asked! And he knows Esikko's going to answer anyways, so why the hell get defensive about it? While he has no qualms with someone escaping their own death (who the fuck wouldn't) doing so by redoing your own life seems... fucking insane. If he keeps his memories of his past life/lives, well that's fucking cheating. Obviously it's different in Esikko's world, but the entire concept boggles his mind.]
20?! You reset yourself twenty fucking times?!
[What kind of perfect life does Esikko think he's going to find if he keeps playing do-overs?! At least he says the memories aren't always prevalent, so that's... ugh, he doesn't know. If it works for Esikko, who's he to criticize him for his choices? He's from a whole new world, one Bakugo has no jurisdiction or say over. It all seems... cheap. Desperate. Foolish. But maybe that's what Esikko needs.
He can't help thinking it'll end in disaster for him.
They can focus on something else. Like this fucking room.] What the hell?! You call this a room?!
[How can Esikko take such care of his appearance each morning and live in a damn dumpster?! Bakugo instantly barges into his room, scanning over the various elements making up this wreck.]
Do you even know how to clean... Move.
[With that, Bakugo grabs a stack of books and heads outside with them. Yeah, he's gonna clean your damn room, dumbass.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 12/3/24 07:10 (UTC)The highest ranks are fucking royalty here. They want people to look clean and proper, so everyone else will be jealous and try to rank up. Why would they rank you up and not suck up to you at the same time?
[Transgressions likely forgiven and put to rest so Esikko might be even more indebted to the Peacock. While giving the entity a hold over the prince's head, threatening to return the mark should he step out of line again.]
This place is a manipulative bitch.
no subject
Date: 12/3/24 07:24 (UTC)( That's a compliment, believe it or not, spoken in a mumble as they walk. He is seriously considering it, the idea of having his slate "wiped clean" in such a way. But it would make no sense, then, that he'd gotten away with murder as a lowly three, especially of a higher rank. It clashes, too, with the way those roots had tied together, with the way suits shone with great importance but ranks less so. So is it personal, whether someone finds the rank system motivating or not? Does the House care? If it did, would the spread be so consistently even?
These are all thoughts he can't exactly share with the hero, here, so he just goes quiet for a moment before humming in a sort of quiet agreement at that last part. )
Well, it certainly is. You're right about that.
( The elevators are next, an easy thing to take down to the lowest level possible before he had to face the stairs, and so he stops them in front of them to hit the button. )
no subject
Date: 12/3/24 22:58 (UTC)[He's not gonna take a backhanded compliment with a smile either. There's no way for Bakugo to know if he's right or not, considering the hotel works on its own whims. He knows a few high ranks that have scars, wounds, problems, shit something obsessed with "perfect" temptations would probably have reason to get rid of. Would they really pardon Esikko for his transgressions against them simply because he ranked up? Maybe, since it would convince the guy even further to play their game and stay in line...
Does the resort really give a shit whether the guests kill, fight, plot against each other? Hell no! Otherwise it wouldn't have made a fucking RANK system encouraging abuse amid a ratrace for better options! While focusing on making everyone fuck each other. They're nothing more than toys, even trash, to the being running this glamorized shitshow.]
When everyone in this place reaches the high rank, there won't be anyone left to step on.
[Muttered to himself. He has no intention of remaining a low rank, since he can help more people as a high rank, and sex is happening whether he "wants" it to or not. Might as well make use of what he can get.
Oh, elevators.]
What floor are you going to?
[Because Bakugo's heading for the stairs. He's not once taken an elevator the entire time he's been here and today's not the day he's going to change that decision.]
no subject
Date: 12/4/24 01:11 (UTC)Esikko's thoughts are put on pause when Bakugo seems to take a couple extra steps away from the elevators to ask him that question. He pauses, allowing his arm to slip away just so he can place his hand on his hip instead. )
The lobby, since it's the lowest they'll go. Then I take the stairs down to the rank two levels.
( His head tilts slightly. )
Are you troubled by cramped spaces or something? I'm afraid I can't handle that many flights of stairs regularly, or my heart or lungs tend to give me trouble.
( He has taken multiple flights of stairs before. Just, in order to be ready for the moments he has to do that, he has learned he has to take it easy other times. )
no subject
Date: 12/4/24 01:25 (UTC)He stops at the door of the stairs, looking over his shoulder at Esikko for the answer. Lobby floor, then down to the rest. That's easy enough. With a metal "ka-chuck" the door's handle depresses under his palm and Bakugo pushes it open.]
Had enough people warn me to stay away from them.
[And that was during his first two weeks here. No less than three people said it on his first damn day.]
I'll meet you in the lobby.
[Of course he's not going to strain Esikko's physical limits by demanding he come with. But he's not going to trap himself in the elevator for whatever potential bullshit goes on in there either.]
no subject
Date: 12/4/24 01:37 (UTC)So he refrains, keeps it to himself. )
Right.
( Bakugo vanishes behind the door, and Esikko waits for the elevator to step onto it. He didn't really need an escort, or anything like it. He could defend himself in many situations, with the vials of his own magic he kept on him, and with the new knowledge of just enough martial arts that Bakugo has been helping him with. The idea was, instead, company...
But it's not like he can just demand company from anyone. At least, that doesn't feel like a thing that he should be able to do— it's silly, it's embarrassing, it's something he struggles with with even the closest person to him here, so it's natural to find it too shameful to even bring up to someone he can only imagine thinks of him as something closer to a stranger.
When the quiet elevator ride is over, Esikko steps out and glances towards the door that leads to the stairwell of the basement levels. )
no subject
Date: 12/4/24 01:48 (UTC)Don't take it personally, Esikko. There's no one at the door to the stairs when Esikko gets out of the elevator.
Because Bakugo's leaning against the wall, arms crossed and radiating his usual "fuck off" vibes, right beside the elevator itself. If the doors open and Esikko's in trouble, he'll be there to rip him out of it. Plus he easily dropped right down through the stairwell rather than taking the steps, so of course he beat the elevator to the lobby floor.
He glances aside when Esikko steps out of the elevator, arms falling to his profile as he pushes off the wall and walks over.] Took it long enough. That thing's too damn slow.
no subject
Date: 12/4/24 02:06 (UTC)As it is right now, seeing him waiting for him outside of the elevator is enough to earn a pleased sort of relaxation. He reaches to grab one of his arms, again— so touchy— and breathes out a laugh as they move, the lonely moment of the elevator already forgotten. )
It's much faster than me on the stairway, though I certainly wouldn't complain if someone could make it faster. Or should I just ride you down the stairs, next time?
( Heheh. )
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Date: 12/4/24 08:40 (UTC)Bakugo rolls his eyes when Esikko latches onto him like a damn koala again. Ugh, this guy... He doesn't shake him off as he makes tracks across the lobby. Luckily it doesn't seem like the guards are coming after them. Cover the mark canceled their animosity. What other bullshit can the hotel brand their bodies with? He doesn't want to know.]
Haa?! I'll drop you over the railing next time! [And catch him, obviously.] Mattaku... [What a pain.] You can't fly with your magic?
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Date: 12/4/24 09:33 (UTC)Bickering is something he falls into easily, and so he clicks his tongue in his irritation as they move down the stairs, using his shallow cling to Bakugo's arm as a source of warmth. )
My magic isn't some instant use nonsense like you quirk users manage to have. It takes time and set up and exchange. Do you have any idea the strain that flight would put on a human body? That's not a realistic spell at all.
( As if Bakugo could have any idea what makes sense or not with Esikko's magic... Still, it's a sore point. He can use magic "quickly" in some cases, cases like back with the paintings and the fire, but it puts a huge strain on his body, on his life. )
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Date: 12/4/24 20:28 (UTC)Letting Esikko sidle close to him is way more irritating in the cooler weather than the heat of the summer. He tolerates it for now, glad he's wearing a sweater at the moment. Despite focusing on Esikko for the most part, Bakugo keeps an eye out for any trouble approaching them.]
How the hell do people in your world fight then if it takes you so long to cast a spell?
[Unless the magical people sit behind lines of physical fighters, prepare shit, then fire once everything's set up. Not the worst way, but it seriously inhibits a magic-user's personal ability if someone gets in close range... Someone should've seen that major flaw and worked on fast-tracking spells by now!]
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Date: 12/4/24 20:42 (UTC)The look that question earns from Esikko is nothing short of puzzled, like he doesn't fully comprehend the idea. A brief pause allows him to see it, at least— sure, in a world where magic could fly from one's fingers so easily, if he could create explosions, or fire, or put people into little marbles, then of course that would be useful in a fight. But for him, that's not what magic is. His own use of it is far from standard, stretching its limits, and even then, it would not be useful in a fight without assistance. )
With blades and bows? Magic isn't really suited for war or anything, you know. Oh— firearms are a recent thing, as well.
( He loosens his death grip on Bakugo's arm a little, relaxing his hold as they move, and it's clear that he's already a little out of breath from this small walk down stairs alone. The chase from earlier didn't help. )
Most people don't use magic at all, anymore. My father didn't want me to learn it, either.
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Date: 12/5/24 04:41 (UTC)Great, getting that kind of look after such a question? Gonna have a hell of an answer, or a real shit short one. This guy's version of magic probably isn't the combative type. Bakugo comes from a world where most everyone's superhuman abilities are instant, ready to be activated whenever they want, bar the ones which require stockpiling "ammo" of sorts.
He glances to the side when Esikko loosens his grip on his arm, gauging it as relaxing the tension rather than preparing to let go. Hmph, if he had, Bakugo would've glared at him for being weird. Already starting to get winded after riding down the elevator. That's really sad. They reach the next floor and Bakugo makes for the door.]
Getting a drink.
[Give him a minute to bend over the nearby water fountain. Esikko can take a rest on a cushioned bench in the hall close by. How convenient.]
I thought your world was magical.
[It's half protest, half explanation for why he viewed Esikko's power the way he did. Thought the guy came from some fantasy-flavored version of the world. But with combat using physical weapons, even guns... huh.]
Why'd you learn it then?
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Date: 12/5/24 04:51 (UTC)The world has magic, but any world does.
( From what he knows, anyway. His fingers trace along the edges of his sleeve as he waits patiently. )
I learned it because I'm interested in it. I was sickly from birth, so I wasn't allowed outdoors. Most of my time was spent in the library, then, and reading those books about magic, about how you could create and shift and alter reality and wield your own type of strength— it sounded far more interesting than being a Prince.
I suppose I thought it might be some way to combat the weakness of my own body, too.
( He's looking off in some other direction now, frowning a little. )
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Date: 12/5/24 05:01 (UTC)Did your old man have a reason for not wanting you to learn it? Or was he a shitty bastard?
[Forbidding your sickly child from learning a skill that could give him strength and improve his standing in the world sounds really strange, even if the world didn't have common magic. Esikko had been simply trying to grow stronger. What parent would refuse that without a good reason?]
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Date: 12/5/24 05:21 (UTC)The latter. ( He gestures weakly with a hand, flipping it palm up in an almost half shrug. ) I came out the precise way he had hoped and planned for, I suppose, and he wanted to use me as his perfect little chess piece. According to him, magic was a waste of time, and he was far more obsessed with attempting to completely shift our customs and traditions into something more modern, with the countries from the south.
I was supposed to save all of my energy for my duties as a Prince, attending meetings and lessons and discussing politics, and so he had all the books related to magic removed from our library.
( He drops his hand again with a sigh. ) But he's an idiot, so I was able to find a few and hold onto them despite that, and I just practiced in secret and self-taught. I'm still learning.
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Date: 12/5/24 20:04 (UTC)That's why your magic sucks outside best circumstances.
[Meaning having time to prepare and set up rather than snapping off lightning bolts from his fingers and shrinking people into mice with a flick of the stick.]
Have you looked in the library here? Most of it's shit, but you can find useful books.
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Date: 12/6/24 00:17 (UTC)( There's a rush of heat in his answer, defensive and overly passionate despite his own exhaustion. He stands, once Bakugo moves back from the fountain, and scoops up the shopping bag, ready to head down the last two flights. )
In any case, yes, I have. I have a number of them checked out in my room, in fact, and I regularly look for new books that might appear.
( So he is serious about it, after all. )
Even learning about the forms of magic across different realms is useful, since I can apply it to knowledge of using my own magic here, for example.
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Date: 12/6/24 01:50 (UTC)If you're going to use offensive magic, you need to factor in the battle you're fighting in. Doesn't matter if you can pull the damn moon out of the sky, if it takes you five months, it sucks.
[Once Esikko gets his fire back and moves to the stairs, Bakugo pushes open the door, ready to use some of that passion to get the guy the rest of the way down to his room. Unless he wants to crash in Bakugo's third-floor room like last time. He's got an open invite.]
Hoh? [Esikko's found magic books and even cross-dimension-realm-world magic? Interest and mild impressed flickers across Bakugo's face. That's more ambitious than the guy sounded a few months ago. He likes to see that.] And your magic works with other world's magic?
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Date: 12/6/24 04:32 (UTC)( Can he actually do that? It's a mystery. It's largely his annoyance talking, anyway; his defensiveness, his desire to be clinging to something that matters, even if it's not instantaneous. )
But yes, in certain ways... and though this place limits certain abilities, I've yet to encounter a limit on my own. I've been slowly testing what I can between reading.
( Here they are, the two rank floor. Esikko walks slowly to where his room is located, his eyes focused ahead. )
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Date: 12/6/24 08:06 (UTC)[Given what he's seen and knows of Esikko, the man's magic can be used offensively, defensively, supportive, and explorative. But it's also slow. Duh. He doesn't say it sucks though...
Besides, in Bakugo's opinion, it only sucks in the heat of battle. Given time to prepare, setup, and focus, he's confident Esikko can do impressive things. Hell if he's going to say that to his face.]
You already encountered a limit, when this place kicked your ass for yanking its roots. [Then indicates the other man's neck.] And that's still there.
[Suggesting Esikko couldn't remove it, even when it took a blade to it. Limits.]
The painting version of you. Is that what you were back home or what you could be in the future?
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Date: 12/6/24 20:50 (UTC)( Even then, he wonders if he could have gone all the way if the House were less able to fight back. It's something to consider, something to poke at more and more, but the problem is that in order to make his magic do such extraordinary things, he has to break a lot of rules.
And his body can only last for so long through punishment for that.
The question earns a bit of hesitation as he slows his feet to a stop right in front of his door. It's beat up a little, scratched on the front since the staff hasn't bothered with fixing it, and he doesn't open it just yet— it's a mess inside, and he knows enough to be ashamed by that. )
Both, in a way. ( Unclear, vague... But he takes in a slow breath, smacking his Watch against the lock mechanism so that it clicks open. He doesn't swing the door open, just cracks it. )
That was me from the past. It was at that time that I wove a spell most would consider forbidden or impossible. I restarted my life, rewound everything, altered what I could and tried again. I was dying, but I wasn't ready to stop. ( He rests his hand on the doorknob. ) That was many lives ago.
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Date: 12/7/24 00:01 (UTC)Of course he, all of them, could do more if the House wasn't able to fight back. Hiyori's companion could have blown through the roof, Bakugo could have wrecked the walls to the outside, the void suspending this entire thing would have been invaded by those pouring out. But frustrating as it is to admit, the House has more power than all of them. For now.
Bakugo notes Esikko's room number and location. He glances at his watch, though rather than check the time, opens the Map app and links the prince's room to a pointer so he can call it up as a destination when he needs to. He assumes Esikko pauses at the question rather than the state of his room.]
Many lives, huh... You mentioned something like that when we fought him. [As well as swallowing deities. Things Bakugo heard but didn't pay much attention to. Esikko keeps revealing new things about himself that undermine shit he said before or how the hero understands him. He's a very confusing person.]
How many lives have you lived?
[Running from your own life because you don't like it rather than bucking up and improving your state sounds cowardly and weak to him, but Esikko said he was dying, so... he holds his tongue on that opinion.]
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Date: 12/7/24 06:36 (UTC)( A tad defensive, as if he can feel the hint of judgement behind Bakugo's eyes, or that he at least expects some. He's heard it plenty of times, the words against what he's been doing, but he had been literally in the last hours of his life when first making the decision, and it's not something that can be so easily undone now. What he did undo was the chain that had been dragging another with him.
But now, where does that leave him? He tosses a cautious look to Bakugo. )
At least 20. It's difficult... for memories to maintain their integrity over time. They often take years for even flashes to resurface, and longer for me to realize I'm not simply going insane. Even here, where I've recalled so many things, I can't tell you an exact number.
( Finally, he pushes his door open. His twin bed is unmade and nearly entirely covered by folded clothes, for the lack of a closet, and a few stacks of books. The rest of the room is messy, indeed. There are plants everywhere, with lights that don't seem to have a source hovering above them, jars both clean and filled with blood, some filled with flowers, others with crushed leaves, or stems. There's bags of rabbit fur, wolf fur, and an assortment of books on magic from the library that are taking up the desk, the singular chair, the floor. There's hardly room to walk.
But hey, it smells like flowers? )
I thank you for the escort, but... well, if you wanted to stay, I'm afraid I'm limited in seating space.
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Date: 12/8/24 00:58 (UTC)20?! You reset yourself twenty fucking times?!
[What kind of perfect life does Esikko think he's going to find if he keeps playing do-overs?! At least he says the memories aren't always prevalent, so that's... ugh, he doesn't know. If it works for Esikko, who's he to criticize him for his choices? He's from a whole new world, one Bakugo has no jurisdiction or say over. It all seems... cheap. Desperate. Foolish. But maybe that's what Esikko needs.
He can't help thinking it'll end in disaster for him.
They can focus on something else. Like this fucking room.] What the hell?! You call this a room?!
[How can Esikko take such care of his appearance each morning and live in a damn dumpster?! Bakugo instantly barges into his room, scanning over the various elements making up this wreck.]
Do you even know how to clean... Move.
[With that, Bakugo grabs a stack of books and heads outside with them. Yeah, he's gonna clean your damn room, dumbass.]
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From:lets assume this part of the thread takes, uh... a while, haha!
From:LMAOOO it sure would! thanks bakugo :')
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