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.]
( Plenty of those lives were too short to even count, in Esikko's eyes. Lives where he died as a child were fairly regular, but even not counting those, it's well over ten... Well. It's fine.
Besides, he's heavily distracted by the way Bakugo just barges into his room like that. Esikko nearly protests, but considering his comments, he decides to just walk in and set his bag of shirts next to the bed, on top of a different pile of books. Moving one small pile of clothes on top of another, he takes that seat newly freed on the bed and looks over. )
Well, I know how, of course, but I'm used to having servants handle all of that. It's not as if it's that dirty or anything, is it?
( Largely cluttered— though there is dust layered in places that are hardly touched, such as the baseboards, the top of the doorway, the legs of the bed. The piles and piles of books and other sketchy materials, though, are not dusty. The plants, so numerous, are happy and healthy, well taken care of, some likely foreign in appearance due to them being from Esikko's world. They have no shelving to take advantage of, so they're just placed wherever they can fit.
The only place that has a bit of space is the desk itself is cleared just enough so that the journal laying out on it has enough space to be opened and written in. )
You know, if you're going to clean up, I've heard they have uniforms for that. ( He's teasing. Though he wouldn't refuse a show. )
[Esikko's eternal reset button is his problem to deal with. A man who can't die... He wonders if the magic ended up becoming permanent, trapping the prince in a forever loop of death and rebirth, or if he chooses whenever it happens. The former could drive a man insane. The latter... at least he controls his own loop.]
You've got plants everywhere! [Dirty? No. Busy? Fuck yes! Esikko could stand to straighten up his room and at least keep things in a proper place and order. Dammit, there are ways to tidy up even small living spaces! This guy has a habit of clutter from the looks of it. Books are the first to go, moving in and out of the room to stack them along the wall in a neat order. At least he notices the plants are happy and healthy. Esikko takes care of them well.]
Learn to keep your room straight, dammit! [Honestly, with the way the hotel's infinite space structures, people could use the hall outside the own rooms to store shit. Theft might be an issue in the lower floors... Anyways, Bakugo's already noted the lack of shelves, either nailed into the walls or bookshelf or cubby unit. Given Esikko's strength issues, he's likely never taken the time to put some up or procure furniture suitable.]
Say that again and I'll dust your fucking room with your head. [He's got a pink mop up there that'll serve a good enough purpose.] You need to put up some shelves or get a damn shelving unit.
[There's plenty of trashed items to use through the lower floors and the backs of shops if he's worried about payment. For now, Bakugo's simply trying to break all Esikko's belongings into groups. Then arrange them in the room once more (AFTER THEY CLEAN IT) in a better organization.]
( House husband material? But, Esikko quiets down after that, at least for a bit of time. He's exhausted from the day's events, and so he unwinds the scarf from his neck, folding it to put it in the pile next to him, and then shuffles through some of the piles on the floor near the bed to locate some scissors and snip the tag off the shirt he's wearing. Aside from that, though, he doesn't help— doesn't stand up, doesn't try to follow him in and out of the room, none of that. )
Even if I did have shelves, they'd be destroyed by now by one lunatic or another. There was a point where my walls were completely eradicated somehow during an all out brawl, you know? It's why I try not to stay in here if I can help it.
( Still, as Bakugo does get to grouping things, he'll hear chime ins from Esikko. Things like "treat my children gently" or "that one prefers that side of the room" regarding the plants, or for the materials, things like "be careful, that contains poison", "don't spill any of that" and "you're going to bring those back in here, right?"
In other words, he's plenty bossy even though he's getting help, sorry... )
[Don't you dare! Bakugo continues the complete and utter vomitting of Esikko's room out into the hallway. There's not a lot of stuff, and he does handle the plants with care while moving them. Though any that are magically enhanced or supported are left where they are so he doesn't break the spell he figures Esikko cast on them. Unless Esikko gives him permission to. Luckily there aren't a ton of things, so it won't take him a whole day to clear the guy's room out.
Where's the damn janitor's closet on this hall? Even if none come, there's still got to be a closet if this is a stupid hotel. Hm...]
Can't you keep people out of your room? Fuck!
[Why does Esikko have to deal with people fighting in his damn room?! How many enemies has this guy made that people actively hunt him down and destroy his stuff?! Down right ignores the bossy comments. In that he either doesn't respond or yells at Esikko for ordering him around. While obviously paying attention to handle poison carefully and keep plants separated by the side of the room Esikko wants them on.]
I don't have time to get shelves or anything. How many of these books do you need in the next week? Because we can use them to make some temporary shelving.
[Just can't have Esikko pulling a book out of the "shelf" and hope it stays up. IF he finds a janitor's closet with usable tools, then Esikko's gonna get his room cleaned. If not... so begins the return-but-in-order process.]
I have them all here because I look through all of them when necessary, you know? How am I supposed to know what might come up?
( But okay, with a sigh, he finally stands up from the bed and moves over to review the stacks of books, one hand on his hip. With the other, he eventually gestures out to point at a few of them. )
I'll have to return these soon before checking them out again. The rest I can do without. I try to take notes in my journal when particularly necessary, anyway. ( His journal which he has insisted stays on the desk. In any case, Bakugo can likely find a closet with supplies somewhere along the hallway, though its contents aren't the best. Some things are missing, others are just worn down— but they'll do.
Eventually, mid-cleaning, after watching Bakugo for some time: ) So, are you doing this out of the kindness of your heart?
You're not gonna use all of these in a damn week! Fucking guess!
[Make educated guesses, use some probability, pick priority, or get a notebook and make some damn notes if a book topic comes up said book isn't available! Make it work, Esikko!
Bakugo separates out the ones that have to be returned. He won't use those as support. Journals are not "books" in that sense and thus are not included in the build-a-shelf ambition.
While Esikko messes around with the books, the blonde rips into the supply closet. Shit, the lower floors really aren't well equipped. But they'll work. Stomping back to Esikko's room, he tackles the cleaning. Sweeping out his room, even a foot up the walls, using the vacuum to go over any rugs or carpet, slamming the life out of his bedding on the walls, brutalizing his pillow (which miraculously fluffs it well), wiping down his desk surface and whatever meager furnishings he has in his room. Luckily the lights and ceiling are either clean enough or there's no way he's gonna be getting stains out with these supplies.]
It'd be pathetic if you died cause of a pigsty. Kill yourself with magic, not your shitty cleaning skills.
[He can't stop Esikko from burning himself out. But he can remove one obstacle from the guy's path.]
( Ignoring that serious comment, Esikko takes a seat back on the bed, crossing one leg over the other and watching. ...The cleaning does earn a number of coughs and sniffles that he does his best to minimize, but it's a temporary thing cleared the more the cleaning goes on, and eventually, either near the end or after it, he hums. )
Maybe I'll just have to give you a thank you kiss.
( His little smirk says he's just waiting for him to yell about that. So, after a pause: )
[Bakugo even gets under the bed, now that it's cleared out. Broom and vacuum dragging as much as he can before he bans Esikko from his bed long enough to heave the entire thing onto its side and get all the way under it. Then lowers it back to its legs and lets him plunk his butt back down onto it. Esikko coughing and sniffling is all the proof he needs of his decision. Clean your room before you die of a damn asthma attack one night!
Once the floor and furniture is clean, Bakugo maps out the books he has to work with and what few pieces of furniture Esikko has in his room, as well as the free space on the floor. Time to get to building.]
I'm covered in dust! You wanna hack all over my face? [Kiss him when he's clean later, if you're determined, dammit! Bakugo gets to building up two structures using the books as stand and frame, keeping their size and weight in mind. He intends to procure some proper shelving or bookcases over the week by asking some of the low-end stores in the marketplace for anything they're throwing out or will barter for.
As for plants.] They exist.
[He knows how to garden and take care of them, but they were never a hobby he stuck with.]
( The way he's completely offended at "they exist" being his only opinion on plants. He can't even properly love or hate them? He's ambivalent? Ugh. Immediately, a rant begins to form itself in his mind, twisted tangles of words explaining how plants are incredibly strong and versatile, how they help people, how they can do all sorts of extraordinary things that humans would never be able to do— but it falls short and comes out as a click of his tongue, instead. )
Existing is one of the things they excel at, that's true.
( That's all that he manages, snippy but relatively calm for what could have blown up. He's having his room cleaned, after all. )
Let me rephrase this, then. Is there anything you're struggling with, in this place? Plants have all sorts of wonderful properties that I happen to excel at knowing and making use of. Sleep aids, physical enhancements, pain relief, so on and so forth... There are a few others I'm assisting in various ways.
If you have a need, I can probably help with it. As a fair trade, you know, for all of this effort.
[Wow. A whole rant summarized and stopped by a "tch" instead. That's probably the same feeling as losing a sneeze or blueballing. Bakugo gives Esikko a strange look when he retorts like that. For a second, he could've sworn the guy was swelling up like a puff adder ready to spew out venom. Or it could have been the blonde's imagination. It's obvious Esikko likes plants. Though plenty in this room are kinds Bakugo's never seen before. He said he can grow plants from his blood, right? No wonder they're strange.]
I grew some at my house when I was younger. [Guess he can give him some more detail.] Dad taught me. I know how to grow shit, but I never got into it.
[He'd rather leave it to people who have a passion for the field and can go it to a greater level of expertise than he has. Bakugo doesn't think it's hard, but he's not about to slight the knowledge and skills it takes to grow something amazing. Unfortunately, that's a skill set he finds BORING and not in line with his preferences.
Esikko's clarification... THAT'S NOT A FUCKING REPHRASE!! IT CHANGES THE ENTIRE QUESTION!!]
WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK THAT FIRST?!
[Fucking hell, this guy! Those are two very divergent queries! Bakugo glances towards the plants Esikko's referring to, the ones now being re-introduced to the room and going where the prince directs. Things are looking far more organized now, and Esikko's going to find he actually has space in his room. Crowded still, yeah, but space made.]
Pain relief and burn salve. Make a few portable batches.
[Given the peacock's recent slew of threatening aspects of its events, Bakugo's had to fight, and given his way of fighting, sometimes injuries happen. It'd be nice to have a quick and ready emergency kit to handle that.]
( ...Because liking plants would mean they could bond, obviously. But he's the weirdo with the obsession yet again. At the very least, however, it seems Bakugo will accept his help in this way, and that does a ton for helping Esikko feel less like a useless walking bit of meat. It's nice, too, to have a bit extra from him. About his dad... His dad, huh? Into gardening? )
That's not difficult. Okay, I should have them tomorrow.
( Long enough to gather everything needed properly and apply heat where needed. )
[So fucking pessimistic. Bakugo wouldn't have built up what he has with Esikko if there hadn't been anything he saw worthwhile in the other man. Is he a weirdo? YEP! A lot of people are. He's got a classmate obsessed with fanboy nerdisms, another who's a Goth, another who fixates on manliness, and a disgusting midget who's the embodiment of old man pervy lust. Liking plants is almost a refreshing obsession in Bakugo's opinion.]
Of course it does! I fixed it. [He'll look around tomorrow for some throw-aways in the shopping area to see if he can find shelving material. Discarded bookcases, maybe some crates, planks of wood, whatever. Bakugo never thought he'd be the guy dumpster diving, but... fuck this place.]
( He'll leave it at plants and get into the blood fixation later, then. )
Mm, yes, most of them are.
( It's obvious, the way he lights up in response to a question like that. He moves from where he'd settled to one of the plants set up near the desk, now afforded its own space with its magic little floating light. It's tall, with spindly leaves almost like oversized blades of grass, and drooping little purple flowers along it. )
I've heard from a handful of people that there's overlap in some of them, but this one might be unique? I haven't met anyone who recognizes it, yet. It's called Spindledrop? The petals of the flowers are exceptionally good for sleep aids, and make delicious tea.
I can create the seeds of just about any plant with my blood. It's magic, you know? Once I have those, and I help it grow, I can create more of that same plant from there through typical horticulture.
( He runs his fingers along one of the long smooth leaves, a gentle touch that's as fond as it is proud. )
The gardens were my favorite as a child, so I spent much of my time locked inside studying plants, their uses, their lives... Because of that, I can even manage to create plants from a detailed description, even if I've never seen them before.
I have a number of them in the rooftop gardens, as well.
( He releases the leaf after a moment, smiling naturally, for once. )
As for the speed, it depends on the way I mix it. I have a number of mixes, depending on what I need... Ones mixed with another plant, over there, can remove dreams entirely, for those plagued with nightmares. Or, if you want fast acting sleep, like within an hour or two, you simply have to soak the petals for longer... The more intense the concentration, the heavier the sleep.
Do you have to know the type of plant before you grow the seeds?
[Sure he can say it's "magic" but there has to be some kind of logic involved. Bakugo scans the books in Esikko's room again. He has a lot of botany. So maybe he just needs to see the plant and/or seed to create it, even if it's not from the man's world.
Bakugo heads back out to the hallway to gather a few more things and return them to Esikko's room, now that it's not so chaotic and cramped in there. Some of those items go under the bed, but he arranges them so Esikko can see what they are and pull them out like a selection on a shelf.]
They have a garden in the Vale. [Or at least the woodlands. He can understand why Esikko would rather stick to the quiet of his own room, but the cramped quarters would make it... annoying to deal with. Bakugo makes a small noise when Esikko answers his previous question. Even from just a detailed description... That's pretty cool.]
Huh. A walking nature generator. [Not as insulting as it sounds, more intrigued but he's still a jerk.] You mean the top-floor? No one's able to get out of this fucking place to reach a rooftop.
[Unless Esikko was talking about his own world.]
An hour or two?! If you can't sleep in that time, get up and do something useful!
Yes, it's only possible because I know the structure of so many plants already, and to have a foreign plant described to me... I need things like the appearance, the location and climate, height, relative size, colors, smells. The more information I have, the more accurate it can be, but I can often fill in any blanks with my own knowledge.
( He really is a nature generator. Could technically even make his own types of plants, though he doesn't like that idea and refrains from it. Plants are made naturally beautiful as they are. They can account for everything. There's no need to improve upon them, right? )
In any case, I meant the Vale. The gardens that are attached to it, they're considered "rooftop" with that fake sky ceiling. The staff calls it that.
( He turns away from the plant, leaning back against his desk instead, to look at Bakugo. )
Some of us have insomnia or don't want to be knocked out instantly, you know. But— it is possible to have something that works near instantly, with the right crossing of other plants. Truthfully, if there's any problem anyone has, there's a high chance that plants can assist with it.
Even if you don't know what their natural genetic make up is?
[Esikko being able to assume and fill in the gaps isn't completely idiotic. Plenty of stories had scientists or magicians patchworking their creations with suitable fillers. But then you get shit like dinosaurs changing their genders because you included a certain frog dna into their code...
Someone describing what the manchineel tree looks like not get the note of its more corrosive sap. Esikko can get the outsider and surroundings right, but how does he handle the insides?]
Oh. Thought the top floor was the one closest to the roof. [Where the beaches were when he came here. Hiyori mentioned someone trying to punch a hole through the roof. Bakugo tried as well. Didn't work. Fuck...]
So you wanna stay awake tired while your brain's running wild doing nothing? [He'll take the knocked out instantly instead of that bullshit. The rest is a basic fact of natural medicine and plant-based drugs.]
Yes. Plants have much in common. The appearance also has much to do with the inner workings. A tall plant versus a short one, for example, have different ways of drawing in water, nutrients, and capturing sunlight. A flower that can grow in the snow near my palace, for example, is able to survive on very little sunlight. It's a mixture of intuition and experience that allows me to fill in details.
( As for the gardens— yes, the top floor, where the beach had temporarily taken over and then been restored. It's also attached to the Vale, connecting the gardens to everything else up there. Esikko has done a fair number of spells up there, too, investigating the House, before he determined the basement had better luck. )
As for sleep... Well, everyone has their preferences, you know. For sleep intensity, for the security of it not being too deep of a sleep, so on and so forth.
[Even if it's only pictures for some specimens. He wonders how long it took Esikko to find that thing. Maybe an hour if his search for something about demolition was any example. Listening to his princely (nerdy) rattling about plants and their ease of copying/figuring is simultaneously interesting and makes him drag his mental hand down his face. This guy's like fucking Deku when it comes to heroes...
Bakugo spends most of his time in the Beak and Talon, occasionally going to the Vale for outside hikes or runs. Though not since the damn weather changed and turned it all to ice and snow. Fuck that shit.]
( Grown ass man goes heehee. But he's pleased, and he has no idea that he's being thought of as a nerd (or he'd be stomping on some toes about it), even if it is true. This topic is clearly something of an obsession, and he gestures out broadly across the room at his little collection. )
I do use them for that, when I can. I tend to offer them as forms of repayment, my potions and plants and the like, since I'm not someone who enjoys being indebted to anyone. My children have been so useful~.
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no subject
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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
Date: 12/8/24 02:15 (UTC)Besides, he's heavily distracted by the way Bakugo just barges into his room like that. Esikko nearly protests, but considering his comments, he decides to just walk in and set his bag of shirts next to the bed, on top of a different pile of books. Moving one small pile of clothes on top of another, he takes that seat newly freed on the bed and looks over. )
Well, I know how, of course, but I'm used to having servants handle all of that. It's not as if it's that dirty or anything, is it?
( Largely cluttered— though there is dust layered in places that are hardly touched, such as the baseboards, the top of the doorway, the legs of the bed. The piles and piles of books and other sketchy materials, though, are not dusty. The plants, so numerous, are happy and healthy, well taken care of, some likely foreign in appearance due to them being from Esikko's world. They have no shelving to take advantage of, so they're just placed wherever they can fit.
The only place that has a bit of space is the desk itself is cleared just enough so that the journal laying out on it has enough space to be opened and written in. )
You know, if you're going to clean up, I've heard they have uniforms for that. ( He's teasing. Though he wouldn't refuse a show. )
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Date: 12/8/24 03:48 (UTC)You've got plants everywhere! [Dirty? No. Busy? Fuck yes! Esikko could stand to straighten up his room and at least keep things in a proper place and order. Dammit, there are ways to tidy up even small living spaces! This guy has a habit of clutter from the looks of it. Books are the first to go, moving in and out of the room to stack them along the wall in a neat order. At least he notices the plants are happy and healthy. Esikko takes care of them well.]
Learn to keep your room straight, dammit! [Honestly, with the way the hotel's infinite space structures, people could use the hall outside the own rooms to store shit. Theft might be an issue in the lower floors... Anyways, Bakugo's already noted the lack of shelves, either nailed into the walls or bookshelf or cubby unit. Given Esikko's strength issues, he's likely never taken the time to put some up or procure furniture suitable.]
Say that again and I'll dust your fucking room with your head. [He's got a pink mop up there that'll serve a good enough purpose.] You need to put up some shelves or get a damn shelving unit.
[There's plenty of trashed items to use through the lower floors and the backs of shops if he's worried about payment. For now, Bakugo's simply trying to break all Esikko's belongings into groups. Then arrange them in the room once more (AFTER THEY CLEAN IT) in a better organization.]
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Date: 12/8/24 04:02 (UTC)( House husband material? But, Esikko quiets down after that, at least for a bit of time. He's exhausted from the day's events, and so he unwinds the scarf from his neck, folding it to put it in the pile next to him, and then shuffles through some of the piles on the floor near the bed to locate some scissors and snip the tag off the shirt he's wearing. Aside from that, though, he doesn't help— doesn't stand up, doesn't try to follow him in and out of the room, none of that. )
Even if I did have shelves, they'd be destroyed by now by one lunatic or another. There was a point where my walls were completely eradicated somehow during an all out brawl, you know? It's why I try not to stay in here if I can help it.
( Still, as Bakugo does get to grouping things, he'll hear chime ins from Esikko. Things like "treat my children gently" or "that one prefers that side of the room" regarding the plants, or for the materials, things like "be careful, that contains poison", "don't spill any of that" and "you're going to bring those back in here, right?"
In other words, he's plenty bossy even though he's getting help, sorry... )
lets assume this part of the thread takes, uh... a while, haha!
Date: 12/8/24 20:18 (UTC)[Don't you dare! Bakugo continues the complete and utter vomitting of Esikko's room out into the hallway. There's not a lot of stuff, and he does handle the plants with care while moving them. Though any that are magically enhanced or supported are left where they are so he doesn't break the spell he figures Esikko cast on them. Unless Esikko gives him permission to. Luckily there aren't a ton of things, so it won't take him a whole day to clear the guy's room out.
Where's the damn janitor's closet on this hall? Even if none come, there's still got to be a closet if this is a stupid hotel. Hm...]
Can't you keep people out of your room? Fuck!
[Why does Esikko have to deal with people fighting in his damn room?! How many enemies has this guy made that people actively hunt him down and destroy his stuff?! Down right ignores the bossy comments. In that he either doesn't respond or yells at Esikko for ordering him around. While obviously paying attention to handle poison carefully and keep plants separated by the side of the room Esikko wants them on.]
I don't have time to get shelves or anything. How many of these books do you need in the next week? Because we can use them to make some temporary shelving.
[Just can't have Esikko pulling a book out of the "shelf" and hope it stays up. IF he finds a janitor's closet with usable tools, then Esikko's gonna get his room cleaned. If not... so begins the return-but-in-order process.]
LMAOOO it sure would! thanks bakugo :')
Date: 12/11/24 07:29 (UTC)( But okay, with a sigh, he finally stands up from the bed and moves over to review the stacks of books, one hand on his hip. With the other, he eventually gestures out to point at a few of them. )
I'll have to return these soon before checking them out again. The rest I can do without. I try to take notes in my journal when particularly necessary, anyway. ( His journal which he has insisted stays on the desk. In any case, Bakugo can likely find a closet with supplies somewhere along the hallway, though its contents aren't the best. Some things are missing, others are just worn down— but they'll do.
Eventually, mid-cleaning, after watching Bakugo for some time: ) So, are you doing this out of the kindness of your heart?
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Date: 12/11/24 08:32 (UTC)[Make educated guesses, use some probability, pick priority, or get a notebook and make some damn notes if a book topic comes up said book isn't available! Make it work, Esikko!
Bakugo separates out the ones that have to be returned. He won't use those as support. Journals are not "books" in that sense and thus are not included in the build-a-shelf ambition.
While Esikko messes around with the books, the blonde rips into the supply closet. Shit, the lower floors really aren't well equipped. But they'll work. Stomping back to Esikko's room, he tackles the cleaning. Sweeping out his room, even a foot up the walls, using the vacuum to go over any rugs or carpet, slamming the life out of his bedding on the walls, brutalizing his pillow (which miraculously fluffs it well), wiping down his desk surface and whatever meager furnishings he has in his room. Luckily the lights and ceiling are either clean enough or there's no way he's gonna be getting stains out with these supplies.]
It'd be pathetic if you died cause of a pigsty. Kill yourself with magic, not your shitty cleaning skills.
[He can't stop Esikko from burning himself out. But he can remove one obstacle from the guy's path.]
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Date: 12/11/24 08:49 (UTC)Maybe I'll just have to give you a thank you kiss.
( His little smirk says he's just waiting for him to yell about that. So, after a pause: )
Do you like plants?
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Date: 12/11/24 23:09 (UTC)Once the floor and furniture is clean, Bakugo maps out the books he has to work with and what few pieces of furniture Esikko has in his room, as well as the free space on the floor. Time to get to building.]
I'm covered in dust! You wanna hack all over my face? [Kiss him when he's clean later, if you're determined, dammit! Bakugo gets to building up two structures using the books as stand and frame, keeping their size and weight in mind. He intends to procure some proper shelving or bookcases over the week by asking some of the low-end stores in the marketplace for anything they're throwing out or will barter for.
As for plants.] They exist.
[He knows how to garden and take care of them, but they were never a hobby he stuck with.]
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Date: 12/12/24 07:57 (UTC)Existing is one of the things they excel at, that's true.
( That's all that he manages, snippy but relatively calm for what could have blown up. He's having his room cleaned, after all. )
Let me rephrase this, then. Is there anything you're struggling with, in this place? Plants have all sorts of wonderful properties that I happen to excel at knowing and making use of. Sleep aids, physical enhancements, pain relief, so on and so forth... There are a few others I'm assisting in various ways.
If you have a need, I can probably help with it. As a fair trade, you know, for all of this effort.
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Date: 12/12/24 16:36 (UTC)I grew some at my house when I was younger. [Guess he can give him some more detail.] Dad taught me. I know how to grow shit, but I never got into it.
[He'd rather leave it to people who have a passion for the field and can go it to a greater level of expertise than he has. Bakugo doesn't think it's hard, but he's not about to slight the knowledge and skills it takes to grow something amazing. Unfortunately, that's a skill set he finds BORING and not in line with his preferences.
Esikko's clarification... THAT'S NOT A FUCKING REPHRASE!! IT CHANGES THE ENTIRE QUESTION!!]
WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK THAT FIRST?!
[Fucking hell, this guy! Those are two very divergent queries! Bakugo glances towards the plants Esikko's referring to, the ones now being re-introduced to the room and going where the prince directs. Things are looking far more organized now, and Esikko's going to find he actually has space in his room. Crowded still, yeah, but space made.]
Pain relief and burn salve. Make a few portable batches.
[Given the peacock's recent slew of threatening aspects of its events, Bakugo's had to fight, and given his way of fighting, sometimes injuries happen. It'd be nice to have a quick and ready emergency kit to handle that.]
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Date: 12/18/24 03:21 (UTC)That's not difficult. Okay, I should have them tomorrow.
( Long enough to gather everything needed properly and apply heat where needed. )
It looks much nicer in here.
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Date: 12/18/24 04:57 (UTC)Of course it does! I fixed it. [He'll look around tomorrow for some throw-aways in the shopping area to see if he can find shelving material. Discarded bookcases, maybe some crates, planks of wood, whatever. Bakugo never thought he'd be the guy dumpster diving, but... fuck this place.]
Are some of these plants from your world?
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Date: 12/18/24 06:04 (UTC)Mm, yes, most of them are.
( It's obvious, the way he lights up in response to a question like that. He moves from where he'd settled to one of the plants set up near the desk, now afforded its own space with its magic little floating light. It's tall, with spindly leaves almost like oversized blades of grass, and drooping little purple flowers along it. )
I've heard from a handful of people that there's overlap in some of them, but this one might be unique? I haven't met anyone who recognizes it, yet. It's called Spindledrop? The petals of the flowers are exceptionally good for sleep aids, and make delicious tea.
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Date: 12/18/24 06:25 (UTC)How the hell did you get them here? None of us came with shit.
[Esikko somehow arrived with seeds? Or were they gifted at some point? He heard someone mention the hotel giving gifts every now and then.
Bakugo watches the prince move to the plant, eyes narrowing slightly on the foliage under the light. He's never seen a plant like that, obviously.]
Never heard of it. [Sleep aid? That should help with the noise in the lower rooms.] How fast does it act?
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Date: 12/18/24 06:48 (UTC)I can create the seeds of just about any plant with my blood. It's magic, you know? Once I have those, and I help it grow, I can create more of that same plant from there through typical horticulture.
( He runs his fingers along one of the long smooth leaves, a gentle touch that's as fond as it is proud. )
The gardens were my favorite as a child, so I spent much of my time locked inside studying plants, their uses, their lives... Because of that, I can even manage to create plants from a detailed description, even if I've never seen them before.
I have a number of them in the rooftop gardens, as well.
( He releases the leaf after a moment, smiling naturally, for once. )
As for the speed, it depends on the way I mix it. I have a number of mixes, depending on what I need... Ones mixed with another plant, over there, can remove dreams entirely, for those plagued with nightmares. Or, if you want fast acting sleep, like within an hour or two, you simply have to soak the petals for longer... The more intense the concentration, the heavier the sleep.
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Date: 12/18/24 16:57 (UTC)[Sure he can say it's "magic" but there has to be some kind of logic involved. Bakugo scans the books in Esikko's room again. He has a lot of botany. So maybe he just needs to see the plant and/or seed to create it, even if it's not from the man's world.
Bakugo heads back out to the hallway to gather a few more things and return them to Esikko's room, now that it's not so chaotic and cramped in there. Some of those items go under the bed, but he arranges them so Esikko can see what they are and pull them out like a selection on a shelf.]
They have a garden in the Vale. [Or at least the woodlands. He can understand why Esikko would rather stick to the quiet of his own room, but the cramped quarters would make it... annoying to deal with. Bakugo makes a small noise when Esikko answers his previous question. Even from just a detailed description... That's pretty cool.]
Huh. A walking nature generator. [Not as insulting as it sounds, more intrigued but he's still a jerk.] You mean the top-floor? No one's able to get out of this fucking place to reach a rooftop.
[Unless Esikko was talking about his own world.]
An hour or two?! If you can't sleep in that time, get up and do something useful!
[Generic "you" there.]
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Date: 12/18/24 22:24 (UTC)( He really is a nature generator. Could technically even make his own types of plants, though he doesn't like that idea and refrains from it. Plants are made naturally beautiful as they are. They can account for everything. There's no need to improve upon them, right? )
In any case, I meant the Vale. The gardens that are attached to it, they're considered "rooftop" with that fake sky ceiling. The staff calls it that.
( He turns away from the plant, leaning back against his desk instead, to look at Bakugo. )
Some of us have insomnia or don't want to be knocked out instantly, you know. But— it is possible to have something that works near instantly, with the right crossing of other plants. Truthfully, if there's any problem anyone has, there's a high chance that plants can assist with it.
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Date: 12/18/24 23:49 (UTC)[Esikko being able to assume and fill in the gaps isn't completely idiotic. Plenty of stories had scientists or magicians patchworking their creations with suitable fillers. But then you get shit like dinosaurs changing their genders because you included a certain frog dna into their code...
Someone describing what the manchineel tree looks like not get the note of its more corrosive sap. Esikko can get the outsider and surroundings right, but how does he handle the insides?]
Oh. Thought the top floor was the one closest to the roof. [Where the beaches were when he came here. Hiyori mentioned someone trying to punch a hole through the roof. Bakugo tried as well. Didn't work. Fuck...]
So you wanna stay awake tired while your brain's running wild doing nothing? [He'll take the knocked out instantly instead of that bullshit. The rest is a basic fact of natural medicine and plant-based drugs.]
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Date: 12/19/24 00:01 (UTC)( As for the gardens— yes, the top floor, where the beach had temporarily taken over and then been restored. It's also attached to the Vale, connecting the gardens to everything else up there. Esikko has done a fair number of spells up there, too, investigating the House, before he determined the basement had better luck. )
As for sleep... Well, everyone has their preferences, you know. For sleep intensity, for the security of it not being too deep of a sleep, so on and so forth.
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Date: 12/19/24 20:47 (UTC)That explains the botanical garden books.
[Even if it's only pictures for some specimens. He wonders how long it took Esikko to find that thing. Maybe an hour if his search for something about demolition was any example. Listening to his princely (nerdy) rattling about plants and their ease of copying/figuring is simultaneously interesting and makes him drag his mental hand down his face. This guy's like fucking Deku when it comes to heroes...
Bakugo spends most of his time in the Beak and Talon, occasionally going to the Vale for outside hikes or runs. Though not since the damn weather changed and turned it all to ice and snow. Fuck that shit.]
You could do a lot of bartering with this.
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Date: 12/19/24 23:16 (UTC)( Grown ass man goes heehee. But he's pleased, and he has no idea that he's being thought of as a nerd (or he'd be stomping on some toes about it), even if it is true. This topic is clearly something of an obsession, and he gestures out broadly across the room at his little collection. )
I do use them for that, when I can. I tend to offer them as forms of repayment, my potions and plants and the like, since I'm not someone who enjoys being indebted to anyone. My children have been so useful~.
( C...children... his plants. )
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